Bulgaria's prime minister, who is struggling to ensure swift entry into the EU border-free Schengen area, has said the country is "totally fit" for accession.

"Bulgaria is totally fit to join Schengen, we are doing our best and I am confident that our efforts will be highly assessed at the end," Boyko Borisov told journalists during the regular sitting of the European Council in Brussels.

Bulgaria hoped to join the EU's border-free zone in March, but Germany and France have already urged Brussels to delay its bid due to concerns about its ability to combat corruption and crime.

Bulgaria's prime minister said he has conferred about the issue with French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, as well as the prime ministers of Finland and the Netherlands.

Finland's minister of immigration and European affairs, who opposed last month Bulgaria and Romania's accession to the Schengen zone, will pay a visit to Sofia next week, he added.

"Bulgaria has to deal with the most difficult task - provide security on the border with Turkey, which is like a magnet for the refugees, especially after the events that unfolded in the Arab world," Borisov said, adding that this has been the message that he tried to convey during these meetings.

"Bulgaria is definitely ready to join Schengen, but each of the countries, which have a say, is obliged to respond to the commitments it has to its citizens, to guarantee that the opening of the Schengen borders for Bulgaria and Romania will not trigger problems in other countries," Borisov said.

Bulgaria and Romania, which have been coupled ever since their joint accession to the European Union in 2007, aim to enter the border-less zone in March this year, claiming that all requirements for it had been met.

Accession is uncertain, however, since a report on the security of Bulgaria's frontier with Turkey was negative.

Bulgaria's government has repeatedly said it is working hard to cover the Schengen Agreement criteria and join the zone March 2011. The Balkan country has also started working with the Schengen Information System (SIS).

The country however will most probably fail to join the Schengen area in March 2011, a target date, which has been set as early as in 2007, during the term of the previous Socialist-led government.

Hungary, which currently holds the EU presidency, may decide to put this issue on the agenda of the Council of Interior Ministers of the EU, due on February 24, but the decision will most probably be negative.

The next deadline to be set for Bulgaria is expected to be November this year.

Bulgarian experts are unanimous that the country meets the technical requirements. The real problem rather seems to be the threat of information leakages and Greece's porous border with Turkey.

Analysts say the reluctance of France, The Netherlands, Germany and Austria to let the Balkan country join the Agreement in 2011 is both because of domestic politics and because they really believe the entry into Schengen will be premature, just as the EU entry.