Germany, France stop Bulgaria, Romania from joining Schengen area

[pampango]

http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,14730572,00.html

Germany and France have blocked Bulgaria and Romania from joining Europe's border-free Schengen area next year. Interior ministers from both countries said that both needed to do more to tackle corruption. Romania and Bulgaria are not ready to join the EU's borderless Schengen area, according to the interior ministers of Germany and France.

A spokesman for German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said that he and his French counterpart, Brice Hortefeux, had warned the European Commission that Bulgaria and Romania did not yet meet the requirements for entering the visa-free travel zone.

The two ministers criticized the lack of progress by the two southeastern EU countries in reforming their judiciary as well as tackling corruption and organized crime.

Allowing a country to join the Schengen zone must be agreed unanimously by all member states, so France and Germany have veto power over the application.