The Netherlands has removed all obstacles to Bulgaria's full entry into Schengen. A week ago, the government of Prime Minister Mark Rutte decided that Bulgaria had fulfilled all the requirements and sent a letter to the parliament. MPs had three options - to support the decision, reject it or not consider it, which means full agreement with the cabinet's actions.

During the parliamentary debate, a resolution was introduced by the New Social Contract party - currently the fourth political force in the Netherlands. It supports Austria's position that Sofia should be admitted to Schengen gradually and initially only by air. The proposal gathered 59 votes "for" and 49 "against". Although supporters of partial acceptance prevailed, the proposal was rejected because it did not gather the required majority of 76 votes. Mark Rutte's People's Party for Freedom and Democracy voted yes. Surprisingly, the right-wing Party for Freedom, which won the most votes in the parliamentary elections a month ago, did not vote. Now Austria remains the only obstacle to the full entry of Bulgaria and Romania into Schengen, BNR correspondent in Brussels Angelina Piskova reports.