Bulgaria has a clear economic and political interest in joining the Schengen Area and the accession in stages will be among the key goals of the government, according to Meglena Kuneva, Deputy Prime Minister for European Policy and Institutional Matters.

Speaking Tuesday in Brussels, Kuneva opposed claims that Bulgaria was not to rush with its Schengen bid due to domestic concerns such as the refugee influx.

“Bulgaria has to be fully integrated in Europe,” she stated, vowing that the accession to the Schengen Area would trigger an increase in GDP.

Kuneva, as cited by the Bulgarian National Radio, noted that Bulgaria had to start measuring progress in the spheres of security and justice also in terms of economic growth and jobs.

She insisted that there was still time to fix some things before the release of the next report on Bulgaria of the European Commission under the Co-operation and Verification Mechanism.

Kuneva suggested that Bulgaria could get a better evaluation in the next CVM report if the country managed to elect a Chair of the Supreme Court of Cassation (VKS) and a Chief Inspector at the Inspectorate of Bulgaria's Supreme Judicial Council (VSS).

Kuneva took part Tuesday in a meeting of the General Affairs and External Relations Council which included the rule of law on its agenda.

She stated that the enforcement of legislation was still a major problem of Bulgaria.

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