Bulgarian Parliament Speaker Tsetska Tsacheva called for the joint accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the Schengen Area, which will ensure a higher degree of security for the EU.

Tsacheva stated this during her meeting with the President of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies Valeriu Zgonea on Monday.

This was part of the two-day official visit of a Bulgarian parliamentary delegation to Romania, which is headed by Tsacheva.

According to her, Bulgaria is complying and has fulfilled the criteria for accession to the Schengen Area in technical terms.

Tsacheva noted the efforts of the two countries in the areas of justice and fight against corruption and pointed to the results, which according to her were already visible.

She highlighted the need for the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM) to be lifted.

Tsacheva expressed her satisfaction with the legislation approved by the Romanian Parliament, which declared May 24 as Day of Bulgarian Language.

In her words, Bulgaria and Romania were turning into regional leaders of Southeastern Europe thanks to their bilateral relationship, based on the Euro-Atlantic values, good neighbourly relations and common interests.

As regards, the increased refugee and migratory pressure, Tsacheva said that with all the efforts on greater security of the external borders , the voice of Bulgaria and Romania will be heard better in Europe.

Zgonea noted that Bulgaria and Romania have a common path and called on the two countries to extract the benefits of their bilateral relationship and continue to be good and reliable partners in the framework of united Europe.

He proposed the establishment of a memorandum of understanding between the parliaments of the two countries with the aim of devising joint positions on issues of key regional and strategic importance.

Tsacheva also held an official conversation with the President of the Romanian Senate Calin Popescu Tariceanu.

The two were unanimous on the need for intensive partnership for the implementation of large-scale projects in the areas of economy and infrastructure.

They shared the common goals of the two countries in attracting investments for trans-border cooperation, the Danube Strategy, Black Sea Synergy and projects aiding the development of the border regions of both countries.

The Bulgarian delegation will also meet Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta, President Klaus Iohannis, Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu and the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church.