Law enforcement in Europe

At a press conference during his visit to Sofia on Friday, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban called on the EU to offer to Bulgaria membership to the Schengen Area.

Orban assured that Bulgaria is capable of guarding its borders not only against smugglers, but also against migrants.

The Hungarian prime minister said that double standards were applied towards Bulgaria.

Bulgaria wants to enter the Schengen Area which is one of the best achievements of the European Union, the country's President Rosen Plevneliev has said in an interview with Italian daily Corriere della Sera.

Plevneliev was on a working visit to Italy on 27-28 January

Migration and Home Affairs Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos said on Wednesday the draft Schengen evaluation report on Greece “showed serious deficiencies” but that the situation has started to improve, following the discussion of the report by the College of Commissioners in Brussels.

The College of Commissioners discussed on Wednesday a draft Schengen Evaluation Report on Greece.

Greece risks exit from the Schengen Area, a plan discussed at the informal meeting of internal, justice and migration ministers in Amsterdam on Monday. French daily Le Monde reports that the matter will be perused when the College of EU Commissioners convenes on Wednesday.

The College of Commissioners is expected to discuss tomorrow a draft on suspending the Schengen Agreement for Greece for two years, which will mean exclusion of Greece from the European zone, French newspaper  Le Monde reports.

The European Commission said Jan. 26 that it may eventually allow member states of the passport-free Schengen zone to reintroduce border checks for up to two years to cope with the migration crisis.

At a meeting in Amsterdam on Jan. 25 EU interior ministers had asked the Commission - the executive arm of the 28-nation European Union - about the possibility of extending the checks.

European Commission Spokesperson Natasha Bertaud says that there is no discussion concerning Greece leaving the Schengen Zone.

There are no plans to either exclude Greece from Schengen or for the “suspension” of the treaty for two years, European Commission spokeswoman Natasha Bertaud said on Monday.

“No such possibility exists,” stressed Bertaud.

Financial Times insist on the “plan for Greece’s isolation” that European partners are thinking of putting into effect, which will mean that Europe will expulse Greece from Schengen area.