Deputy Prime Minister Meglena Kuneva called for dissociating Bulgaria's accession to the Schengen Area and the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM) of the European Commission.

According to Kuneva, the accession of Bulgaria should not be made dependent on the CVM, which monitors the progress of Bulgaria in the areas of judicial reform and the fight against corruption.

This had to be considered especially in line with the new security threats facing Europe, the government's press service reports.

The Bulgarian deputy prime minister expressed this position at a meeting with the French Justice Minister Christiane Taubira on Tuesday, which was part of Kuneva's two-day working visit in Paris.

The French side responded that the security context necessitated greater exchange of information on the citizens entering the Union, which could be ensured through the information systems of the Schengen Area.

An agreement was reached that it was necessary for cooperation to be strengthened in the fight against terrorism and radicalisation.

The measures, which Bulgaria is implementing in respect to judicial reform, the forthcoming constitutional amendments and the need of new criminal policy, were discussed.

The opportunities for technical assistance and exchange of experts in the field of justice and higher judicial education were also considered.