Foreign Minister Zaharieva: The Netherlands and France do not Let Bulgaria in the Schengen Zone

The Netherlands and France hinder Bulgaria's entry into the Schengen zone, Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva said in an interview with the Russian newspaper Izvestia, quoted by the Bulgarian National Radio.

She underlined that since 2011, the European Commission and the European Parliament have approved many resolutions and reports calling on EU countries to accept Bulgaria and Romania in the Schengen area, but this does not yield results. "Two countries - the Netherlands and France - are still concerned about the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the Schengen area. After the outbreak of the migration crisis, I can understand their concerns, but I can not find real arguments for the refusal, "Ekaterina Zaharieva explains.

"We have already met all the technical requirements in 2011 and now, in a mass influx of refugees in the EU, we have proven our ability to protect the EU's external borders. Thus, there is no reason why Bulgaria and Romania should not be included in the Schengen area, "she added. Zaharieva says the Bulgarian authorities continue to negotiate with the two countries to convince them that our country should be part of the Schengen area.