The European People’s Party Political Assembly:
A. Calls upon all EU member states to uphold their commitments to the Schengen Agreement, adhere to the established rules, and work collaboratively to address any security concerns without compromising the principles of free movement and sincere cooperation; B. Emphasizes that Romania's and Bulgaria's exclusion from the Schengen Area hinders the full participation of the two countries as member states of the EU; C. Reaffirms the EPP’s strong support for Romania's and Bulgaria's accession to the Schengen Area as an element of its steadfast commitment to championing European integration; Recalls also the European Parliament's constant calls on the matter; Considers the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen Area to be essential, as an enlarged Schengen Area without internal border controls will make the EU stronger; E. Acknowledges with regret that the refusal to accept Romania and Bulgaria into the Schengen Area led to a sense of discrimination among the citizens of Romania and Bulgaria, had a detrimental effect on public support for the EU, and led to the raise of extreme-right political parties; F. Considers that the refusal to accept Romania and Bulgaria in the Schengen Area negatively affects a number of EU objectives and policies, such as, freedom of movement, environmental protection and climate change, competition policy, competitiveness and transport policy, among others; G. Urges all EPP member parties to intensify their efforts to support Romania’s and Bulgaria's immediate accession to the Schengen Area and asks Austria to reconsider their positioning; H. Calls on the Council’s Spanish presidency to give high priority to this topic in order for Romania and Bulgaria to join the Schengen Area.The EPP Manifesto, also adopted at the 2012 EPP Congress in Bucharest, outlines the basic principles of the Party summarising who we are, what our values are, what challenges are we facing and what vision we have for the future. The Manifesto was developed in parallel to the EPP Platform document within the EPP Working Group 1 for “European Policy”.
The Party Platform was developed in EPP Working Group 1 for “European Policy” chaired by EPP President Wilfried MARTENS ?and EPP Vice President Peter HINTZE. The Working Group consists of delegates of EPP member parties who prepared and worked?on this document for more than two years and received input?from the drafting committee as well as senior and young experts. The document was adopted at the 2012 EPP Congress in Bucharest, thus replacing the Basic Programme of Athens from 1992.