Ilhan Kyuchyuk from Strasbourg: Schengen Becomes Stronger with the Full Membership of Bulgaria and Romania

“Who needed all this – keeping Bulgarian and Romanian citizens outside the Schengen Area? Who benefited? Did the European economy become more competitive? No, it didn’t! Did we solve our major security issues at the external borders by excluding Bulgarians and Romanians? No, that didn’t work either! Quite the opposite – thanks to our efforts, the Schengen Area is becoming stronger.”

This is what MEP Ilhan Kyuchyuk stated during the debate in Strasbourg on the expected full membership of Bulgaria and Romania in the Schengen Area.

The MEP was firm that this is the moment to reaffirm once again that lessons have been learned, recalling that when he first began his political work in the European Parliament nearly 11 years ago, the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to Schengen was the very first topic he debated. He expressed his hope that this would truly be his last speech on the subject.

Kyuchyuk expressed his gratitude to his colleagues in the European Parliament, who, in his words, have shown political wisdom, maturity, and perseverance, recognizing the opportunity to resolve this issue – not only in the interest of Bulgarian and Romanian citizens but also in the interest of the European project as a whole.

Тази публикация е достъпна и на следните езици: Bulgarian