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Bulgaria worried about Schengen entry: Deputy PM

Xinhua, October 5, 2015 Adjust font size:

Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister Meglena Kuneva on Monday said her country is ready to enter Schengen but would unlikely be admitted into the visa-free area amid the refugee crisis.

"Before this serious crisis unfolded, most countries -- if not all -- favored expanding the Schengen zone. But in recent days and the last few weeks, I have more reason to worry," Kuneva told a press conference before the EU Justice and Home Affairs Council, which will be held Thursday and Friday.

"I have no hesitation that Schengen enlargement with Bulgaria and Romania at this moment will make the Schengen policy and the Schengen as an area of security even more stable," she said.

She said she was convinced Bulgaria and Romania were ready to join Schengen by opening their air borders, Kuneva added.

"Unfortunately, public opinion is part of the solution of this equation," and the erection of walls did not create a good atmosphere for the conduct of these negotiations, Kuneva said.

Bulgaria and Romania, EU members since 2007, had hoped to join Schengen in March 2011. However, some Schengen members expressed reluctance due to concerns over alleged corruption and the security situation in the two Balkan states. Endit