Joint Declaration
of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Chamber of Deputies of the Romanian Parliament and the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee of the National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria

The Foreign Affairs Committee of the Chamber of Deputies of the Romanian Parliament and the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee of the National Assembly of Bulgaria met today in Rousse, Bulgaria and Giurgiu, Romania.

Both sides expressed satisfaction with the excellent level of bilateral cooperation between Romania and Bulgaria, including the parliamentary dialogue and cooperation.

Romania and Bulgaria as partners in the European Union and NATO share common values and challenges and have developed an intensive political dialogue at high level and have expanded their bilateral cooperation in fields such as economy and trade, energy, cross-border cooperation, transport infrastructure, internal affairs , defense, culture and education.

After their simultaneous accession on 1 January 2007, Bulgaria and Romania have developed strong partnerships in the framework of the EU, making the common goals a priority. One of these common objectives is the accession to the Schengen area, reaching and satisfying in full   the criteria for accession. Both Foreign Affairs Committee reconfirm the goal of their countries to reach a decision on accession to Schengen by 2011, during the Hungarian presidency of the EU.

Bulgaria and Romania will continue to cooperate with other EU Member States, during  the Hungarian presidency, in order to achieve this goal. Romania and Bulgaria, in concert with other Member States work to ensure the safety of the European Union external borders and prevent illegal migration. Ensuring the safety of citizens represents an important goal for both countries.

The European Council’s decision to let the two countries into the Schengen area should be based entirely on the results of  the preliminary conditions set for the evaluation process and the existing requirements for accession at EU level, in accordance with the procedural parameters of set for previous enlargements.

Bulgaria and Romania will not accept requirements beyond the customary for assessment of the implementation of the legislation (the acquis) concerning the Shengen area , such as defined in Annex II of the Treaty of Accession to the European Union.

Romania and Bulgaria have made significant efforts in preparing for accession and meet all technical criteria.

February 16, 2011
Rouse - Giurgiu

ATILA KORODI,
Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Parliament of Romania

DOBROSLAV DIMITROV,
Chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee of the Parliament of the Republic of Bulgaria