“It’s 100% sure. They don’t have to put it on the agenda (of the summit). To us, the answer is clear,” Dutch Immigration and Asylum Minister Gerd Leers told reporters in Brussels, speaking about a proposal to discuss the issue at a summit of EU leaders on December 9.
“(Romania and Bulgaria) have to deliver first. That’s more important than finding a solution.”
Leers said the Netherlands would examine a European Commission report on anti-corruption efforts in Romania and Bulgaria, due in February, for any indications of a progress.
“If we see progress in February, then we have a start,” he said.
The Dutch were concerned, he said, that Romania and Bulgaria could struggle to keep their section of EU borders secure and made comparisons with Greece, which is failing to hold back illegal migrants pushing to enter the EU from Turkey.
“We have to make sure what’s happening in Greece won’t happen in Bulgaria,” he said.
Romania and Bulgaria had hoped to join the Schengen zone in March but concerns over organized crime and border control have hindered their plans.
Bulgaria shares a border with Greece as well states in the Western Balkans. Romania has a border with Ukraine. Both are on busy drug trafficking routes from Asia to Europe.
Several EU governments have suggested in recent months that Romania and Bulgaria could enter Schengen by first eliminating checks at airports and lifting land border controls later.