July 12 (SeeNews) - The European Parliament (EP) said on Wednesday that its members adopted a resolution urging the EU Council to approve the admission of Bulgaria and Romania to the passport-free Schengen area by the end of this year.
The two EU member states have already fulfilled the necessary requirements for admission to Schengen and their prolonged wait is detrimental to businesses, nationals and the environment, the EP said in a press release.
The resolution was passed in a 526-57 vote with 42 abstentions.
"Citizens of Bulgaria and Romania are discriminated against, as they face delays, bureaucratic difficulties and additional costs when travelling or doing business abroad, compared to their counterparts in the Schengen area," the European lawmakers noted.
Since Bulgarians and Romanians face delays at border crossings ranging from a few hours to several days, as compared to an average of ten minutes without internal border checks, this also worsens working conditions for truck drivers and harms the single market by impeding the free flow of goods and people within the EU.
Furthermore, around 46,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year are emitted by vehicles stationary at the relevant border checkpoints, causing "irreparable damages" to the environment, according to the resolution.
"The resolution calls on the Commission to estimate the opportunity costs and the environmental damage that Romania and Bulgaria have suffered since June 2011 due to the “unjustified denial” of Schengen membership and encourages them to analyse options for financial compensation," the Parliament also said.
The Schengen area currently also excludes EU member states Cyprus and Ireland but includes non-EU states Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.