Romanian Interior Min Confident Country Will Join Schengen Area In October

Igas and his Bulgarian counterpart, Tsvetan Tsvetanov, attended an international conference in Sofia Tuesday, organized by the Open Society Institute, discussing issues on Romania and Bulgaria's accession to the EU's border-free Schengen.

Asked why Romania has not yet been allowed into the Schengen area although it has met all the technical criteria, Igas said entry has not been delayed too much and the main reason for delays was Bulgaria's slower progress in meeting accession criteria.

The minister reiterated Romania should be treated the same as other EU states and concerns of some EU members over the country' justice reforms should be dealt with separately, under the Mechanism for Cooperation, and not tied to Schengen accession.

EU interior ministers on Thursday adopted the conclusions on the full application of the Schengen acquis by Romania and Bulgaria, noting that the issue will be raised again soon, but no later than September 2011.

Ministers will discuss in September a proposition put forth by France and Germany stating that Romania and Bulgaria could join the border-free area in two stages, until the end of 2012, if they make progress in fighting corruption and reform their justice sectors.

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