However, Brussels insists that the delay in expanding the zone is due solely to the technical unpreparedness of new EU members to join the zone. European officials remind that all ten new members must enter Schengen simultaneously, and even if one country is not ready, the rest will have to wait. As of today, the most unprepared country is Estonia, which lacks developed infrastructure for controlling immigration flows. A similar situation is unfolding in Latvia.
The European Commission has asked member states to analyze the timelines for implementing the second-generation Schengen Information System (SIS-II). The implementation of this system is not an obstacle to the expansion of the Schengen area, but is part of the measures within this process,' Friso Roscam, press secretary for European Commission Vice President Franco Frattini, told the Delo newspaper. He added that countries will submit their reports on SIS-II implementation timelines in a few weeks. Then the Council of Europe will make a final decision based on this information – whether to postpone the date of Schengen expansion or not.
According to preliminary forecasts, the date will still be postponed. In any case, the consular services of the new EU member states in Ukraine are already aware of the possible postponement of the date of joining Schengen.
'The government has already informed us that there may be a delay of one or two years,' said Sylwester Szostak, the Consul General of Poland in Kyiv. 'But since no final decision has been made, we continue to work as usual.' The consul reminded that a bilateral agreement between Poland and Ukraine is currently in effect, which provides for free visas for Ukrainians to Poland. 'This agreement will expire about six months before Poland joins Schengen. The agreement has not been canceled yet,' Szostak said.
The Schengen Agreement on visa-free movement of citizens within Europe was signed in 1985. To date, it is implemented by 15 'old' members of the European Union. The 10 countries that joined the EU in 2004 have ratified the agreement but have not yet applied it in practice.