"This is bogus; there will be no joint foreign mission. The truth is that Austria's unambiguous position has not altered. There is no purpose in expanding the Schengen system as long as it is not functional, according to the Ministry of Interior, according to EU Helpers.
Following a meeting between the Dutch Minister of Migration, Eric Can der Burgh, the European Commissioner for the Interior, Ylva Johansson, and the Bulgarian Minister of Internal Affairs, Kalin Stoyanov, the evaluation will take place in the country next month, according to mostly Bulgarian media reports.
The Netherlands and Austria both opposed Bulgaria's entry into the Schengen Zone in December of last year, citing worries about illegal immigrants, despite the Commission's assertion that Bulgaria has fulfilled all requirements to join the zone without borders.
The interior minister of Bulgaria also provided information on the steps taken to implement the recommendations made by the European Commission in a report on the rule of law.
The Netherlands' approval of Bulgaria is, in his opinion, of utmost importance.
Nevertheless, the Netherlands' Minister of Migration stated that there are some expectations that the country's caretaker administration would have the authority to work on problems that are on the European agenda, taking into consideration the topic of Schengen.
While the European Commission will handle the coordination, Minister van der Burgh stated a willingness to lead a mission in Bulgaria, which is also the wish of the Balkan nation.
According to a recent Politico story, the Netherlands' caretaker government makes it unlikely that Bulgaria will join the Schengen Area any time soon.
Bulgaria's cabinet announced last month that it had established a governance plan that prioritized the country's entry into the eurozone by January 1, 2025, and Schengen Zone membership by the end of this year.
Virginijus Sinkevicius, the European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans, and Fisheries, informed the European Parliament in July that the European Commission and the Spanish Presidency had stepped up their efforts to complete Bulgaria's Schengen Zone membership before the end of the year.
Additionally, the European Union's Parliament just passed a fresh resolution urging the EU Council to take this matter seriously and allow both nations to join the Schengen Area by the end of this year.
Despite the European Commission's statements that Bulgaria has fulfilled all standards since 2011, the country's entry into the Schengen Area is still not complete.