So far the European Commission neither supports nor rejects the idea of a Bulgarian-Romanian mini-Schengen

Georgi Markov, BNR, 1 April 2024

Bulgarian National Radio’s Georgi Markov interviewed Vladimir Mitev on Horizon’s 12+3 programme, which was broadcast on 1 April 2024. Vladimir Mitev commented on the political and human reactions in Romania to joining the Schengen area by air and sea. He also made a detailed analysis of the idea of eliminating border controls between Greece, Bulgaria and Romania – its origins, the people and interests that support it, its potential positive effects. Vladimir Mitev also commented on the political attitude towards this idea in Bulgaria, Romania and at European level. 

The state elites in Bulgaria and Romania do not support this idea so far. But the fact that it had to be rejected at a fairly high level – by the outgoing Bulgarian Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov and by the European Commissioner Adina Vălean – shows that there is some support for this idea in both societies. In turn, the European Commission has not taken a clear position on this idea, probably because of its legal complexity. But it has not rejected it, insofar as Adina Văleanțâ’s negative opinion was expressed in her personal capacity without involving the European Commission.

On 12+3, we continue on the subject of Bulgaria and Romania joining the Schengen area. A large number of Romanian citizens remain dissatisfied with this partial accession of their country to the Schengen area by air and sea. The majority of those people who are unhappy are carriers, who believe that the problems at the land borders remain. This again raises the issue of the so-called mini-Schengen between Romania and Bulgaria. To what extent is it viable and, in general, what are the reactions in Romania following yesterday’s official accession of the country to partial Schengen? The questions are for my colleague from the Romanian edition of Radio Bulgaria Vladimir Mitev. Good day!

Good day!

So how did the Romanians react? How did the authorities there accept this partial accession? We know that the news from yesterday is that the land accession to Schengen is now a priority for Romania.

Yes. Of course, as happened in the Bulgaria media too, yesterday there were reports from the airports where the first flights landed in Bucharest after joining the Schengen area by air. And these reports showed happy faces. We saw people who are happy that they do not have to show their identity document. However, there is indeed a feeling, and it has been said repeatedly over the past months, that this is not a complete Schengen and that there is a feeling that the dignity of Romanians is somehow not being respected.

In the same way, we can see politically, on the one hand, the government, which, if you remember, in a previous conversation we had, we talked about it being linked to President Iohannis and it playing a pro-European role. Its representatives have shown nothing but satisfaction and have emphasised the full part of the glass. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu even said that there is a plan, without specifying exactly what the plan contains, according to which accession by land will also take place by the end of the year.

But, on the other hand, again recalling this previous conversation we had about the different groups in Romanian politics, there are also sovereignists who are strongly challenging Iohannis and, accordingly, the leader of the sovereignists, George Simion, has once again said that this is not a real Schengen. And, of course, again, going back to our previous conversation, the third sector in Romanian politics, that is to say, the people who are neither with Iohannis nor with the sovereignists, are perhaps best represented in this case by Dacian Ciolos, a former European Commissioner and former Prime Minister of Romania. He is a francophone. Ciolos said last year, when this decision was taken, that he could not be satisfied with the formula that had been agreed between Austria, Romania and Bulgaria.

It is no coincidence that I raised the subject of mini-Schengen because you and I, Mr Mitev, have commented on it many times in Horizon programmes. And here we are again with an opportunity to talk about this idea. It is more popular in society now as the idea of the so-called mini-Schengen. It belongs to the Romanian side and, more precisely, to Romanian business, does it not?

First of all, to clarify, since the countries are now in Schengen, I think that the content of this idea is changing a little. It is about abolishing border controls at the land borders between Greece, Romania and Bulgaria. That is, the idea is being redefined somewhat. It started as a Bulgarian-Romanian mini-Schengen, but now it sounds a little different. And it is no coincidence that the support it is getting is now coming from some politicians who are quite serious – like Dacian Ciolos himself, who I was talking about. 

This idea was first articulated by a Romanian political scientist who was associated with the United Nations Development Organisation in his blog in 2011. I specifically have been following it in depth as much as I can since 2019 and have quite a few interviews on my personal blog on this topic. I think this idea is really popular in Romania, maybe especially in NGO circles. It also had the support of the Romanian National Union of Road Hauliers, but they have changed their minds over time, to the extent that they have become dissatisfied with things that are happening on the border between Bulgaria and Romania. They are perhaps the subject of a separate conversation related to the truck parks in Ruse.

After all, this idea can be looked at in many directions. Perhaps we should also look at it from different perspectives, but it has struck me that, although it is not endorsed by many of the political elites of both countries and there is no high-level engagement with it, except perhaps Dacian Ciolos in Romania and Daniel Laurer in Bulgaria, it has struck me that it has had to be rejected at an ever higher level as time has gone on. It got to the point where even the outgoing Bulgarian Prime Minister, Nikolay Denkov, had to reject this idea and, more precisely, its legality. The Romanian Commissioner, Adina Vălean, has also criticised it. And in my opinion, the fact that such an idea should be rejected at such a high level shows that perhaps there is also some definite support behind it in our societies

Do you mean political support or business support? Please correct me if I am wrong, but as far as I have recollections and observations on this subject, it is business that is very much pushing for this to happen – the removal of this control so that the work of Bulgarian and Romanian businesses, and Greek businesses respectively, can be eased.

Indeed, over the last two years, there have been interviews and press releases from professional organisations of transport operators, for example, which are perhaps one of the sectors most affected, for various reasons, by the existence of these border controls. However, it seems to me that this idea is a little broader and does not just involve business as a stakeholder. It strikes me that many different people, either as experts or as people from non-governmental organisations, see in this idea an opportunity for Bulgaria and Romania to become closer, to rely more on their own resources. There is this argument that if the peripheral countries or the countries that are further away from the centre of the EU cooperate, they can perhaps move closer to the centre more quickly than if each one separately tries to move towards it.

Is there the political will to make this project happen? Yes, you have partly answered my question, but, after all, is there not another comment that perhaps sounds logical at this point, that the two countries are already in the Schengen area. So, if that happens, and if the accession of Bulgaria and Romania in the land-based Schengen is delayed, would we not be entering into some breach of the rules again?

The issue of political will is complicated. Certainly, we see that the state elites are not, for the time being, in a particularly large-scale way giving any support to this initiative. On the other hand, the European Commission maintains a vague position, perhaps because the case itself is legally complex. However, this statement that we have heard from the Romanian Commissioner, Adina Vălean, is, according to various people, made in a personal capacity. It does not involve the entire European Commission. So, for the time being, the idea has not been rejected.

There is also the point that the agreement with Austria itself provides for the strengthening of border controls between Bulgaria and Romania, not their reduction or abolition. This is, in my opinion, an anomaly. Usually, the European Union as a philosophy seeks to abolish borders and integrate more into its Member States. And I think that it is this particular feature of this agreement that has been reached with Austria that continues to cause these discussions to continue about the abolition of border controls at land borders. This could also be a means, perhaps, of exerting pressure, if not through political action, at least in spirit. Because such an abolition of border controls between Bulgaria, Greece and Romania would greatly enhance the economic dynamics in our region, would make it much easier for people to contact each other and would, in my opinion, increase trust between them, because they would travel more, they would get to know each other more. So it can have many positive sides, as long as both the elites and the people are ready for an openness among themselves.

That’s how we will finish. Thank you with anticipation and this idea to see how it will continue to develop. My colleague from the Romanian editorial office of Radio Bulgaria, Vladimir Mitev, commented on the current state of the idea of eliminating border controls between Greece, Bulgaria and Romania, known until recently as the Bulgarian-Romanian mini-Schengen.

Photo: (source: Pixabay, CC0)

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