Netherlands to Block Bulgaria’s Bid to Enter EU’s Visa-Free Schengen Area

(Bloomberg) -- The Netherlands will block Bulgaria’s bid to join the European Union’s visa-free travel Schengen area next week.

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The Netherlands finds it “still too early” for Bulgaria’s entry to the area, Hoekstra said Friday after a cabinet meeting in the Hague. The Dutch government will agree to Romania and Croatia’s accession, Hoekstra said.

Romania and Bulgaria have been waiting for more than a decade to be allowed into Schengen. Despite meeting all the technical criteria, they have faced resistance from some members as the EU has repeatedly criticized them over judicial reform and the rule of law.

The Dutch cabinet “will encourage the Bulgarian government to continue with the reforms and strengthening of the rule of law, tackling corruption and fighting organized crime,” Hoekstra wrote in a separate letter to the parliament. The Netherlands will “urge the Bulgarian government to show visible and concrete results, so that it can be assured that border controls are ensured.”

The two countries have sought to win a positive vote from member states, along with Croatia, in order to join Schengen early next year, but any decision will need to be unanimous.

The Bulgarian government is working to achieve full-fledged membership with the Dec. 8 vote, Bulgarian Deputy Foreign Minister Kostadin Kodzhabashev said last week.

The EU is set to vote on Romania and Bulgaria’s accession together, and decide on Croatia’s bid separately. The Netherlands has asked the EU to separate Romania and Bulgaria’s votes but the request was declined, according to a person with direct knowledge of the matter.

The vote on Bulgaria and Romania may not take place as Austria currently maintains a veto threat for those two countries, the person said.

Austria has opposed the two countries’ accession due to increased immigration pressure in recent months. Chancellor Karl Nehammer is set to discuss the matter with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis at a meeting of conservative European leaders in Greece on Friday and Saturday.

--With assistance from Slav Okov and Marton Eder.

(Updates with details from fourth paragraph)

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