Although still subject to the cooperation and verification mechanism (CVM) imposed by the EU in 2007 to monitor progress in tackling corruption and still being held outside the Schengen area, Bulgaria will, for the next six months, be responsible for implementing legislation brought forward on the aforementioned Schengen area and the external borders, and also on the reform of the Dublin regulation on asylum seekers, a very complex issue.
European leaders have set themselves the goal of reaching consensus on the Dublin regulation by June. Bulgaria will take over efforts on the basis of a compromise proposal put by the Estonian Presidency which removed the requirement to take relocated asylum seekers, or, at least, made it subject to an agreement between the countries concerned.
The overarching goals of the Bulgarian Presidency of the EU are to increase the security of EU citizens, strengthen external border controls and manage migration flows more effectively, it says in its work programme. Bulgaria intends to restore the normal functioning of the Schengen area of free movement. This will mean stronger external borders thus making it possible to dispense with the internal controls imposed recently by a number of member states and that are still in place in some countries.
A legislative text allowing longer but more closely supervised imposition of internal controls has been tabled but some member states want to see a link made with discussions on reform of the Dublin system. In their discussions on 7 December (see EUROPE 11921), home affairs ministers also considered the extension of the Schengen area to include Bulgaria and Romania. The Commission and a number of member states have called for just such an enlargement.
In terms of tackling terrorism, the new Presidency is looking to make progress on achieving interoperability of European information systems and, in trialogue, on the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) that will allow nationals of third countries exempted from the visa requirement to enter the EU, and also on discussions on the reform of the Schengen information system. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)