EP committee backs Bulgaria and Romania’s Schengen accession

The European Parliament’s (EP) civil liberties committee on Monday (May 2nd) adopted with significant majority a recommendation to allow Bulgaria and Romania to join Schengen. The recommendation will be voted on at an EP plenary session next month. The final decision is in the hands of EU interior ministers, who will discuss the issue just after that meeting. Even if adopted, however, months would likely pass before the actual opening of EU borders for the two countries, potentially by year end.