Brussels, 03/02/2011 (Agence Europe) - The European Parliament wishes to have sight of the assessment reports of the technical progress made by Romania and Bulgaria to join the Schengen area, and the EPP in particular, speaking through its leader Joseph Daul, issued a press release on Wednesday 2 February in which it repeats its complaints of being sidelined from these talks. The European Parliament, which is consulted on this issue, is preparing an own-initiative report on progress made by the two countries, being drafted by the Portuguese EPP member Carlos Coelho, and wishes to “be able to take position in full possession of the facts”, said Joseph Daul, with the Council experts confirming on Friday 28 January that Romania has complied with the technical criteria (EUROPE 10304), but Bulgaria has not.
At the committee on justice and civil liberties on Thursday 3 February, Carlos Coelho also voiced his frustration, describing the Council's attitude as “unacceptable” and threatening to return an opinion indicating that the EP has not been able to take position on the accession of the two countries, due to an absence of documents. The Portuguese rapporteur has given the Council a new deadline of 2 May to provide the documents. This deadline is justified by the fact that at this stage, it is virtually certain that no Council decision on the two countries joining Schengen can be taken at the forthcoming JHA Council of 24 and 25 February, Coelho explained, as only one discussion is scheduled on the agenda.
In any case, the two institutions are locked in a battle of principle and the EP does not intend to let anything past. Between mid-December and the end of January, an exchange of letters has taken place between the Parliament and the Council on the issue of access to the documents, with the chairman of the committee on justice and civil liberties, Juan Fernando Lopez-Aguilar, asking the Council for direct access to the technical assessment reports for all members of the committee on justice and civil liberties. On 24 January, however, the Council sent him a refusal, simply inviting Lopez-Aguilar, the coordinators and the rapporteurs to come and consult the reports, which are classified “restricted”, on site, in a secure room of the Council and having given an undertaking not to divulge any of the information at public meetings.
This invitation is entirely inappropriate, said Carlos Coelho, asking: “What we will be able to say if we cannot discuss the content of the reports in committee?” The rapporteur also spoke out against the fact that the Parliament has been kept far less well informed this time than it was four years ago when the decision was made on the accession of new member states, such as Hungary and the Czech Republic, to Schengen. Since then, the Treaty of Lisbon has entered into force and with it, the obligation to provide the EP with all the documents it needs to be able to take position. In spite of all this, “the Council treats us worse today than it did before the Lisbon Treaty”, states the rapporteur, who is supported by all political groups. A number of MEPs have also expressed frustration at the “vagueness of the Council, seemingly designed to delay the decision over Romania and Bulgaria joining”, said Marian-Jean Marinescu (EPP, Romania). An additional sign of the irritation of the MEPs of the justice and civil liberties committee is that they have decided, through their chairman, to bring the matter before the president of the EP, Jerzy Buzek, calling on him to discuss the rules of “fair cooperation” - and respect for these - with the Council. (S.P./transl.fl)