The external borders of all Schengen countries are the external borders of France, has implied French Minister of European Affairs Laurent Wauquiez.

"When Bulgaria and Romania enter Schengen, that will mean that their borders become our borders," said Wauquiez in an interview for Tuesday's edition of French paper Le T?l?gramme de Brest.

While true on a metaphoric level, the statement was used by the French minister to argue in support of the recently raised additional demands of France towards the Bulgarian and Romanian Schengen entry that have nothing to do with the legally proclaimed technical requirements for accession.

All EU member states except the United Kingdom and Ireland are required to eventually enter the Schengen Zone, but have to fulfill a number of technical criteria relating to external border security in advance.

Both Bulgaria and Romania are expected to fulfill those requirements by the planned March 2011 deadline.

But in December France together with Germany vowed to veto the entry of Bulgaria and Romania based on concerns that relate not to the legally mandated criteria, but rather to issues with corruption and crime that are dealt with by the so-called Co-operation and Verification Mechanism set up for the two EU newcomers.

In the interview for Le T?l?gramme, Laurent Wauquiez stated that France's opposition has nothing to do with the crisis of Roma migrants from Bulgaria and Romania who were forced by the French government to return to their home countries over the summer.

But he somewhat confusingly reiterated his worries that France would face immigration problems should Bulgaria and Romania enter Schengen.

"This is a region of Europe through which some 70% of illegal immigration passes and where there are potentially great threats of different kinds of traffic (weapons, drugs and even traffic of children)," said the French Minister for European Affairs.

Laurent Wauquiez had given a similar interview for Le Figaro last Thursday.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!