Schengen aspirant Bulgaria is unlikely to see a repeat of the scenario in 2005-2006, when many countries threatened to hamper its EU accession but eventually swallowed the pill, a German political analyst has warned.

"No, such a scenario does not correspond to the reality," Prof Dr Dr h c Werner Weidenfeld, professor of political science at Munich University, who is known for his criticism over Bulgaria's accession to the European Union, said in an exclusive interview for Novinite.com.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel Merkel was non-committal on Bulgaria's Schengen bid during her visit to Sofia in October, but at the end of the year Germany and France flatly blocked the extension of the European Union's border-free area.

"The question of being a part of the visa-free zone is not a question of benevolence or antipathy, of emotion and atmosphere. It's a matter of taking reasonable care to check the complex issues," Prof Weidenfeld said in the interview.

He stressed that Bulgaria should not try to separate Schengen accession from the European Commission's continued monitoring of its justice reform and anti-corruption efforts, as the whole context has to be considered as one unity.

Bulgaria's center-right government has assigned top priority to the country' accession to the Schengen zone in March 2011, a target date, which has been set as early as in 2007, during the term of the previous Socialist-led government.

But its preparedness has yet to get the EU greenlight and is facing strong opposition from older member states, who say entry next year will be premature.

Experts from EU states who visited Romania and Bulgaria are due to present a report in January that will be used by governments to make a decision on Romanian and Bulgarian membership, but it must be agreed by the Schengen members in unanimity.

FULL text of the interview with Prof Werner Weidenfeld READ HERE

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