Today's [Friday] decision of the government of the Netherlands to support Bulgaria's membership in Schengen is an unequivocal praise for Bulgaria's work, wrote on his Facebook page Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria co-leader Kiril Petkov.
His reaction came shortly after Reuters and the Dutch ANP news agency quoted the Dutch Justice Ministry as saying that the Netherlands agreed to Bulgaria joining the Schengen area.
"For years, The Hague had insisted that Bulgaria takes concrete measures concerning the rule of law. Today, we see that the actions of our government and parliament have restored Bulgaria's credibility," the post reads.
Congratulations for the success to Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov and Deputy Prime Minister Mariya Gabriel, as well as to all those who contributed with teamwork, Petkov said, also thanking Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte for "believing in the strength of our political will".
Austria is still opposed to Bulgaria's entry into the Schengen area, although it announced on Monday that it was willing to make some concessions by allowing the lifting of airport checks in exchange for tighter security at the EU's external border.
Earlier on Friday, Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov told journalists in Brussels that Bulgaria expects the Parliament of the Netherlands to lift the veto on Schengen enlargement into Bulgaria and Romania in the coming days.
The Dutch government had a meeting on Friday and a decision about Schengen enlargement will be submitted to the legislature for a final sanctions, Denkov explained. He expects that to happen next week, if all things go as planned.
/MY/
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