Brussels, 13/02/2013 (Agence Europe) - According to several Bulgarian media outlets, the Netherlands has “considerably toned down its hard line” on Bulgaria's entry into the Schengen free movement area, which should have been effective from 2011. The same media sources report that, during a visit to the Netherlands by the Bulgarian minister for home affairs, Tsvetan Tsvetanov, the Dutch secretary of state for security and justice, Fred Teeven, said he was, “convinced the country is ready” and that Bulgaria is a “reliable partner”. The Netherlands has long been the biggest opponent to Bulgaria and Romania's joining the Schengen area It was supported in this position by other member states, such as Germany, Belgium and France. The two countries' accession may be on the next agenda for debate at the Home Affairs Council planned for March, according to a source at the Council. This source did, however, indicate that at this stage no decision has yet been made, despite the Commission's most recent report published on the rule of law in Romania, which was far from positive and which indicated that, “the future of these two countries still remains linked”.
According to the Romanian media, on Wednesday, the Romanian prime minister, Victor Ponta, said that the Commission's CVM report was no longer linked to the decision on Schengen and he indicated that he would be visiting France next week to seek support from the French prime minister and president. The two countries would like at least partial accession (air and maritime borders, before land borders) this year. (SP/transl.fl)