S&D MEPs have called for Bulgaria and Romania to be admitted to the Schengen passport-free area as soon as possible. They also insisted that Croatia should join as soon as it meets the technical criteria for doing so. The call came during a debate requested by the S&D Group in the European Parliament on strengthening the Schengen area.

S&D Group president Gianni Pittella said:

“We called for a debate today to make clear our commitment to enlarging Schengen to include Bulgaria, Romania and, as soon as they meet the relevant criteria, Croatia. Contrary to other groups, we have always been in favour of enlarging the Schengen area rather than supporting discriminatory half-way measures. The Commission and member states have made commitments on this and they must now respect them.

"Romania and Bulgaria are ready to join and we will continue to press member states to stop blocking their accession. We wrote to President Tusk to urge him to act on this, but so far his response has been vague and elusive. We cannot accept this. President Tusk and the Council must stop postponing matters due to selfish national interests and let Romania and Bulgaria join immediately. Europe must stand by its promises.

"The Schengen area is the largest free travel area in the world and one of the biggest achievements of the European Union. It makes citizens’ lives easier, boosts our economies and enhances mutual trust and security cooperation between its members. 

“Bulgaria, Romania and Croatia are already successfully protecting the EU’s South Eastern borders. Their entry into Schengen could boost Europe’s economy by facilitating easier access to some of Europe’s biggest southern freight ports. This would be an important achievement for a stronger and more prosperous EU and a good counterbalance to national populism.”