Romania, Bulgaria Entry Depends on EC Justice Report, Says Hungarian Ambassador To Sofia

The conclusions of the report will determine whether the EU's newest members can join the border-free Schengen area this year, said the official whose country currently holds the EU presidency.

"I hope that the report will provide favorable conclusions about Sofia and Bucharest. To sum up, the door to Schengen membership remains open to Bulgarians and Romanians and I hope that we will not have to wait until 2012 for this to happen", Lang said in an interview for Deutsche Welle, cited by Novinite.com.

She reminded that the EU Justice and Home Affairs Ministers Council have already confirmed the technical preparedness of the two countries for joining the visa-free travel zone, which she termed "a fantastic result not only for Bulgaria and Romania but for the six-month Hungarian EU Presidency."

"This is why I am very optimistic that the Council will reconsider the issue of Bulgaria and Romania's Schengen accession in September," Lang added.

In the meantime, a Europol expert warned that Bulgaria and Romania's entry into the passport-free travel area may boost illegal immigration through the Greek-Turkish border.

Although Schengen entry rules are not tied to the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism, countries like France, Germany and the Netherlands have questioned Romania and Bulgaria's ability to guard the EU's external borders.

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