A majority of Dutch MPs have voted in favour of a motion not to take any ‘irreversible steps’ to admit Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen open border area until further investigation had been carried out into corruption and organised crime.

The motion, drawn up by Jeroen van Wijngaarden from the ruling VVD, was supported by a cross section of parties, including the Socialists, BIJ1 and the far right.

Current fact finding missions looking at the rule of law and the decline in corruption and organized crime in both countries are of limited scope, the motion states, before calling on the Dutch government to carry out its own research.

The government has been against accession for Romania and Bulgaria for years. 

The Dutch vote came two days after the European Parliament passed a motion calling on Schengen member states to give both countries access to the EU free movement area by the end of the year.

Romania and Bulgaria have met the criteria, they must be allowed to join Schengen immediately. Some member states are moving the goalposts, blocking accession for purely domestic political reasons. In these times solidarity, unity and a long term vision should prevail. https://t.co/tClOUamDW7

— Sophie in ‘t Veld (@SophieintVeld) October 18, 2022