Schengen/IntMin Predoiu: There is time for Dutch parliament and gov't to decide by the end of year

Minister of Interior Catalin Predoiu stated on Tuesday, upon arriving at the meeting of the Council of Justice and Home Affairs in Brussels, that there is time for the parliament and the government in The Hague to take a decision on lifting the veto on Bulgaria's accession to Schengen until the end of the year, which could pave the way for a decision favourable to both countries.

He reiterated the importance of the fact that the result of the assessment of Bulgaria is positive and emphasized that the thing that matters now is the dialogue between the Dutch government and parliament.

Asked if the Netherlands will have time to make a decision by the end of the year regarding the lifting of the veto related to Bulgaria, he answered: "Yes, there is time for the parliament in The Hague and the Dutch government to make a decision, and after this decision is made, we can see if we take further procedural steps, but there is time," he assured.

The minister then rejected the speculations regarding a possible of a decision to expand the Schengen space in COREPER, possibly with an abstention from Austria, which would then be validated in any council by the end of the year.

"All I can clearly confirm right now is that intense discussions are taking place, and I am in constant contact with Mr. Karner [Gerhard Karner, the Austrian Minister of the Interior -editor's note] (..). I even had a meeting with him last night, and we had a very good talk. Ever since August 23, when we met and reset, if you will, the dialogue between our ministries, we have had this dialogue permanently," said Predoiu about the relationship with his Austrian counterpart.

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He said that the dialogue with the Austrian side is "intense" and that they have held discussions on numerous occasions, "both officially and informally."

He also gave assurances that Gerhard Karner is in direct contact with Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer and that he, in turn, keeps the president, the prime minister and the foreign minister informed, and that work is being done on this diplomatic channel.

AGERPRES