More than 100 youth organizations from all European countries have called on for Romania and Bulgaria’s membership in the Schengen Zone

The organizations, also taking into account Romanian Youth Council, adopted the motion “Freedom of movement for all: Romania and Bulgaria in the Schengen Zone” during the General Assembly of the European Youth Forum (YFJ) that was held in Brussels, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

Organizations’ representatives said that the absence of both of these Balkan countries in the borderless area has several negative consequences, which are also manifested on several layers in young people’s lives.

“It continues to deprive young people of valuable educational, professional and cultural experiences, and can have a significant impact on their future prospects and overall quality of life (…) The current state of affairs means that the young people of these two countries cannot have access to the same rights on which other young people from other member states who are already in the Schengen area have,” the statement notes, according to G4 report.

The same emphasizes that bureaucratic obstacles, as well as expenses, act as a deterrent to young people’s participation in European Union initiatives and programs while adding that they have a negative impact on EU Member States economies as well as the functioning of the EU’s internal market.

According to the organizations, blocking access for Bulgaria and Romania sends an extremely dangerous negative message to the governments and citizens of both countries that a country can meet the needed requirements but be ignored and treated unequally.

Introduced by the Romanian Youth Council via the representative Larisa-Nicoleta Bejan, along with the representatives of the National Youth Councils of Bulgaria as well as Lithuania and Portugal, the motion urges the Council of Justice and Internal Affairs, within the Council of the EU, to take all the needed measures in order to adopt the decision on the full application of the Schengen acquis in these two Balkan states.

In spite of the fact that both countries have met all the needed conditions, Romania and Bulgaria have been waiting to become the newest Schengen Zone countries for years now.

In December last year, as a result of “illegal migrant concerns,” Austria blocked Romania’s accession to the borderless area.

Earlier today, the Minister of the Interior of Austria, Gerhard Karner, who continues to oppose Romania’s accession to the Schengen Zone, justified his position by stressing that seven per cent of those smuggling migrants to Austria last year were Romanians.