Balkan duo denied free access across EU borders

Romania and Bulgaria have failed to persuade other European Union governments to let them join its passport-free travel zone, with opponents citing concerns about corruption and organised crime in the two Balkan states.

Most EU states say Romania and Bulgaria have now met technical requirements to join the Schengen zone, named after a village in Luxembourg where a pact to scrap internal borders was signed in 1985.

But Finland and the Netherlands voiced opposition at a meeting of EU interior ministers yesterday to the elimination of borders between the latest EU members and the rest of Europe, which had been scheduled for 2011.

“In addition to committing to rules, one also has to follow them. Existence of extensive corruption jeopardises the following of the rules,” Finnish interior minister Paivi Rasanen said.

Romania and Bulgaria – the poorest European states – joined the EU in 2007. Both are on major illegal trade routes to Europe for arms and drugs, and have major problems of people trafficking and sex slavery as well as widespread corruption. Reluctance among western European states to admit them to the Schengen zone also reflects a growing debate in Europe over limits on unrestricted travel.

Several EU states, including Poland which holds the EU’s presidency this year, had pushed for a gradual opening of borders with Romania and Bulgaria.

Polish minister Jerzy Miller said: “Romania and Bulgaria were promised to be admitted into Schengen once they meet technical requirements. This promise was broken. The ideals of the EU were forgotten.”