The European Parliament approved during the plenary session that Bulgaria and Romania join the Schengen border check-free area. However, the MEPs asked to kept informed of additional measures taken in the Bulgaria-Turkey-Greece area to cope with a possible surge in migration pressure.

According to the responsible of the opinion report, the MEP Carlos Coelho, the illegal migration makes Bulgaria, Turkey and Greece one of the EU's most sensitive external border areas. This means Bulgaria must take some additional measures, including a special action plan, to be implemented when it joins Schengen, and working out a common approach with Greece and Turkey to coping with a possible surge in migration pressure. Even so, he believes that Bulgaria and Romania are ready to join the Schengen area and he also hopes that the Council will adopt the same position as soon as they receive Parliament’s positive opinion.

MEPs also approved to ask that the Member States concerned inform the European Parliament and the Council, in writing and within six months of the entry into force of the integration decision, of any shortcomings in the implementation of these additional measures. Moreover, Parliament concluded that although some remaining issues will require regular reporting and further attention in the future, they do not constitute an obstacle to full Schengen membership for Bulgaria and Romania.

The Council has now to take a decision by unanimity. Checking that new members have met all Schengen requirements (control of land, sea and air borders, issuing visas, police co-operation, readiness to connect to and use the Schengen Information System and data protection), is a precondition for the Council of Ministers to decide, after consulting the European Parliament, to abolish checks at internal borders with those Member States.