The Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs of European Parliament has called for the swift accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the Schengen area.

The MEPs are demanding that the two countries be admitted simultaneously at land, sea and air borders at the same time. They add that current border checks have a negative economic impact not just for the two countries, but also for the EU as a whole. They also underline that the enlargement of the Schengen area or the free movement of EU citizens should not be negatively impacted by the shortcomings in other EU policies such as asylum and migration policy.

The appeal is addressed to the Council of the EU and will be included in a European Parliament report, expected to be voted in December.