Bulgarian PM Boiko Borisov and his former colleague, currently Party of European Socialists (PES) leader Sergei Stanishev have both agreed on the issue of the accession of Bulgaria in the Schengen Area, a press release stated on Thursday.

Borisov's center-right party GERB is also a member of the European People's Party (EPP) holding majority in EU parliament. 

Member countries of the zone have eliminated internal border controls, and strengthened external border controls with non-Schengen states, thus encouraging the free movement of goods, information, money and people within its borders. Out of all EU member states, four need to go through an application process and be approved if they so wish - Bulgaria, Romania, Cyprus and Croatia. Ireland and the UK have opted not to join the Shengen area. 

''We share the same position on Bulgaria's Schengen accession,'' Borisov said. ''Our country has complied with all criteria for the procedure to take place.''

Stanishev supported that view, saying that '' until this type of a Berlin Wall still exists in the EU, there will be no effective security in Europe. Since Bulgaria has complied with all requirements, it is only normal that we should be accepted as a member state.''

Their discussion was held at the Permanent Representation of the Republic of Bulgaria in Brussels, Belgium and aimed at outlining a strategy for presenting the proposal for entering in the Schengen Area to other EU leaders.

They further talked on the Ukraine crisis and anti-terrorist measures implementation, prior to today's European Council sitting.

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