France and Germany sent a joint letter to the EU on Tuesday (21 December) describing Bulgaria and Romania’s entry into Europe’s border-free Schengen area in March as “premature” and urging more progress in the fight against corruption and organised crime. The move was slammed as “an act of discrimination” by Bucharest.
French interior minister Brice Hortefeux and his German counterpart Thomas de Maiziere raised their objections in a joint letter to the EU commission, according to AFP.
The ministers said it was "premature" to let the two countries join Schengen in March – the current date aimed for by the two countries – and recommended that the EU wait for "irreversible progress" in the fight against corruption and organised crime instead.
Back in Berlin, a spokesman for Germany’s interior ministry said that lack of progress by Romania and Bulgaria in reforming their judiciaries could have "grave consequences for the European Union’s security" and raised concerns about an "overly swift" adhesion to the Schengen area, AP reported.
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