Netherlands: Bulgaria has a problem with Human Rights and Fight against Corruption

Bulgaria needs to adopt more laws and start implementing them, this is what Eric van der Burg, the Secretary of State for Justice and Security of the Netherlands, told journalists last night, as he participated in the meeting of the interior ministers in Brussels and voted against Bulgaria's accession to Schengen. According to him, Bulgaria's problems are related to human rights and the fight against corruption.

"We want to see that Bulgaria is really taking steps in this direction, laws need to be drafted and adopted, and then they need to be started and implemented and next year we will talk again. Laws first have to be passed by the parliament in Bulgaria, but then they also have to be implemented because passing a law is not the same as implementing it. After that, there has to be a report from the European Commission and if Bulgaria meets the requirements, the road to Schengen will be open to it," Eric van der Burg said.

He expressed surprise at the European Commission's support for Bulgaria "I am surprised at the position of the European Commission, which always says that we are a community of values and norms. It is the Commission that should put human rights and the fight against corruption high in its priorities", he said. According to him, since 2011 the Netherlands has been consistent in its demands on what conditions a country should meet to become part of Schengen.

Eric van der Burg commented that there had been disappointment in the chamber over the decision of the Netherlands and Austria against extending Schengen to Bulgaria and Romania, but he said both countries were entitled to their own position.

Bulgaria and Romania remain outside Schengen, the European Council approved only Croatia