Well done to all those who made efforts to make this happen, but also to all the others who endured this waiting, because procrastination is a great trial in negotiations. This is what former European Commissioner Meglena Kuneva said on the air of Darik Radio on the occasion of Bulgaria's full accession to the Schengen area.
In addition to being a former European Commissioner, Kuneva was also Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for European Affairs, but also the chief negotiator for Bulgaria's accession to the EU.
“I signed this contract in 2005, in which we accepted, after ratification by the National Assembly, the commitment to enter Schengen, and all other countries undertook to accept us. That was 2005. The treaty came into effect in 2007, think how many years, it's a kind of record”, commented Kuneva on the delay in our accession to Schengen.
She stated that she should thank the Bulgarian administration and diplomacy, the Bulgarian representation to the EU, our ambassador there Rumen Alexandrov and, in addition to the diplomats from the MFA, also the employees of the MFA.
She admitted that there had indeed been a very long delay and emphasized that it was not only due to Bulgaria. Kuneva also recalled that Romania has done something very profitable - it has threatened to sue all European countries that do not fulfill the conditions of the treaty for the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the EU before the European Court.
“The treaty has two sides - the constant insistence that we fulfill our commitments was faced with the lack of commitment from several parties”, recalled the former European Commissioner.
She also pointed out some omissions from the Bulgarian side:
“What are our mistakes? First, unity. When we say it is necessary from a national point of view. It's a tool. I'm not trying to say something very romantic, but when there is no consistency in wishes and when we once want to enter Schengen, then migration prevents us, then there is one paint that we still don't have enough and just by painting the crossing points and that's it done, then we dig up the corpses with excavators, etc. It was all these years and we didn't help each other at all”.
According to Kuneva, the Netherlands has tended to give the “green light” for Bulgaria's accession to Schengen and because of the situation of the government there and because of some achieved results in the fight against corruption in our country.
“There are some things in Bulgarian politics that continue to worry me. Very much to worry me to the point of my personal closure. Above all, in politics, language creates reality. The reality that politicians create through their language is disgusting. And as we know from Radoj Ralin: “When the disgusting are gone, the disgusting will remain”. And I'm worried about that”, commented Kuneva.
She also questioned the sustainability of a possible regular government, with politicians promising to hate each other “sincerely, personally, long, forever and under all circumstances”.
“This pledge of hate is a fact. The promise that the government will not live long is also a fact. And the desire to necessarily stay in power, which is murderous for democracy, is also a fact," Kuneva summarized. And predicts that the formula for a regular cabinet is not optimistic at the moment.