site.btaThree MEPs, Bulgarian MP Call for Abolition of Land Border Controls between Romania, Bulgaria, Greece

Romanian MEPs Dacian Ciolos and Vlad Gheorghe, Greek MEP Georgios Kyrtsos and Bulgarian MP Daniel Lorer have sent an official letter to Greece's Minister of Migration and Asylum, Dimitris Kairidis, calling on him to request the abolition of land border controls between Romania, Bulgaria and Greece during Thursday's informal meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs Council in Brussels, Ciolos said on Facebook.

"Until we have a clear timetable for land border accession to the Schengen area, it is our duty to keep the issue on the European agenda. The fact that Romania has accepted all of Austria's conditions for the partial implementation of a right we have been entitled to for 13 years makes this even more difficult. If we don't act, new wayward EU governments will keep us from entering [Schengen] for another 13 years," Ciolos noted in his post.

In the letter, quoted by Digi24, the four politicians argue why their call is relevant. First of all, they point out that since 2011, the European Commission has consistently repeated that Bulgaria and Romania are ready for full Schengen accession.

"Second, the European Parliament issued numerous resolutions and reports calling for full Schengen accession, which were supported by an absolute majority. Thirdly, the representatives of the Greek tourism and hospitality sectors want the land border controls to be abolished so that travel of Romanian and Bulgarian tourists to Greece becomes easier. This would become a very important factor for economic development, especially in the northern parts of Greece, provided that the land border is fully opened before the summer period. Fourthly, land border controls between the three countries, which are officially part of the Schengen area, are still causing huge losses to transport companies and tourists in terms of travel costs, loss of profits and time," the letter further reads.

The four politicians believe that swift and decisive implementation of the proposal will enhance the mutual trust between the three Member States and increase the effectiveness of their cooperation within the EU.