As reported by Novini.bg, during a debate in the European Parliament in Strasbourg, MEPs from various countries strongly supported the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to Schengen. They called on the Council to change the unfair situation that has persisted for six years and finally include these two countries in the Schengen area.

The discussion was initiated by Bulgarian deputies – a group of socialists on the initiative of Sergei Stanishev.

As Sergey Stanishev noted, the completion of the Schengen enlargement process is important not only for Bulgaria and Romania, but for the entire European Union. The exclusion of the two countries from Schengen shows a lack of solidarity and disregard for the rules adopted by the EU. The time has come to put an end to this injustice.

Dimitris Avramouloulos, the European Commissioner for Migration and Home Affairs, confirmed that the expansion of Schengen is in the interests of the European Union. Representatives of the main political factions in the EU strongly expressed support for Bulgaria and Romania.

Only two groups (ECR and Europata na Svobodata i Kryaka Demokratsiya) did not support the demand for Bulgaria and Romania to join the Schengen area, BTA reports. All other associations said that these two countries have fulfilled all the necessary requirements for inclusion in the Schengen area.

What will change for immigrants?

When choosing a country to move to, the possibility of free movement around the EU is not the last thing for many. For six years, immigrants in Bulgaria had hoped that the country would enter the Schengen area. Soon these dreams will finally become a reality.

As polls showed in our May article «Schengen visa in Bulgaria: you can, but is it necessary?», holders of residence permit, permanent residence or residence permit statuses for the most part do not want to be limited to countries where you can get from Bulgaria without visas, and try to get a Schengen visa. Many even fly to their home country for this, as it makes it easier to obtain a visa for a long time.

From the moment Bulgaria joins the Schengen area, everything will become much easier. You will not need to travel to your homeland or contact the embassies of foreign countries in Sofia. Borders with other Schengen countries will become conditional, and it will be possible to travel to other EU states without preparing documents and issuing visas.

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