In a letter sent to Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Bulgarian MEPs from all political groups called for Bulgaria and Romania's joining the Schengen free-travel area to be hampered by one country only.

"The 11 years of unprecedented and unjustified blocking of the accession of the two countries by the EU Council and especially by the Netherlands must be stopped. Decisions should not depend on the national agenda of one member state or another," the letter said. Members of the European Parliament recall that the Commission's recent fact-finding mission of experts to the two countries has shown that both countries are strictly implementing Schengen legislation.