Finland rejects Bulgarian and Romanian bids to join the Schengen area, Interior Minister Päivi Räsänen confirmed to YLE. EU interior ministers are to debate on the two countries' efforts to join the passport-free travel zone in Brussels on Thursday.
Allowing new countries into the Schengen area requires the unanimous approval of all EU states. This means Romanian and Bulgarian attempts to join will be thwarted by vetoes from Finland and the Netherlands.
"The matter has been considered by the parliament's Grand Committee and the Cabinet Committee for European Union Affairs," Räsänen told YLE. "And our position on their membership was negative."
Räsänen explained that the decision was due to weak developments in the rule of law in Bulgaria and Romania, the poor situation of minorities in those countries, government corruption and organised crime.
"They do fulfil the technical requirements for joining, but we don't have complete confidence that these countries will be able to secure outer EU borders—because of corruption, among other issues," Räsänen said.
Räsänen said that she had discussed Finland's position with Romanian and Bulgarian ministers and that they had understood the basis for the decision.
YLE