Bulgaria and Romania will join Schengen by July 2012, says Bulgarian PM

In March 2012, the sea and air borders of Bulgaria and Romania should be included in the passport-free Schengen area and their land borders are expected to follow in July, Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borissov said. He was speaking during his visit to Brussels, where he attended the European Council (EC) summit.

As has been recorded in the summit minutes, Bulgaria and Romania are fully prepared to join Schengen. The Council urges all European Union member states to do everything necessary by December to make possible the two-stage Schengen entry of the countries, Borissov said.

The Bulgarian Prime Minister thanked EC President Herman Van Rompuy and Poland’s prime minister Donald Tusk, in his capacity as leader of the country holding the rotating EU presidency, for their support on the issue.