Sweden's permanent representative to the EU, Lars Danielsson, whose country has taken over the rotating presidency of the Union since January 1, has said that he will not initiate a vote on Bulgaria and Romania's Schengen admission in the EU Council until an agreement is reached with the countries that opposed of their accession. He clarified that Sweden was never against the admission of the two countries in the area of free movement.

Ambassador Danielsson said that the Swedish Presidency will hold intensive consultations on how to proceed. "This, of course, includes the two countries concerned, as well as the countries that have indicated that they have a problem with this process. We also note that some of the reasons why there is no positive decision in December are not directly related to European issues or those that are within the prerogatives of the presidency," he also said.

"We have already started the bilateral consultations with the affected parties. When these discussions will give an opportunity to put the issue back on the agenda of the Justice and Home Affairs Council, I cannot say now. In our opinion, the sooner the better. But we see no point in putting it on the agenda until it is clear that there is a reasonable chance of getting approval in the Council. So we will try to do this during the Swedish Presidency, but I cannot guarantee that it will happen. This does not depend primarily on us, but on the parties involved."

In December last year, Austria and the Netherlands blocked the admission of Bulgaria and Romania to Schengen. Both countries oppose Bulgaria’s membership and Austria opposes Romania’s membership. In order to reach an agreement on the matter, the unanimity of the member countries is necessary. According to Bulgarian President Rumen Radev, this year a solution to the issue can be expected by October at the latest.

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/BNR