NEWS

Rumen Radev to Mark Rutte: We Expect the Decisive Step in the Judicial Reform in Bulgaria to Change the Position of the Netherlands on Our Schengen Membership

In the next few days, the recently adopted legislative amendments that create a mechanism for investigating the Chief Public Prosecutor will come into force. We expect this decisive step in the progress of judicial reform in Bulgaria to change the position of the Netherlands on our accession to Schengen. This is what President Rumen Radev said, in a talk with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte in Moldova today.

The Bulgarian head of state expressed his expectation that the amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code would be reflected positively in the Commission's annual report on the rule of law, which is expected to be published in early July. Rumen Radev expressed hope that with the legal changes Bulgaria had managed to address the concerns of the Netherlands and recalled that the European Commission and the European Parliament had repeatedly stated Bulgaria's readiness to join Schengen. In addition, inspections in Bulgaria and Romania, organised by the European Commission last year, concluded that this country continues to meet the conditions for full membership.

Rumen Radev reminded that all EU member states, except for two, including the Netherlands, support this country's accession to Schengen in October 2023.