In the letter Claude Gueant and Hans-Peter Friedrich suggest that suspension of the Schengen treaty is justified where security is insufficient at some of the EU external borders, and to address internal security matters and safeguard national sovereignty, the Munich daily writes.

The Süddeutsche Zeitung adds that the resumption of border monitoring would aim to combat economic migration, and suggests this could foster anti-European political sentiment –

What is the value of it, open borders without restrictions? [...] What is the point of freedom of movement if European governments are able to limit it? If member states withdraw into their national territory when there are problems, they are demonstrating that they believe their small nation state is far better than Europe. In this case we should not be surprised if nationalist parties, populist and the extreme right are on the rise throughout Europe. The temporary closure of internal borders is a continuous advertisement for the enemies of Europe.

"Thank you Interpol for bringing back the fugitive from Kenya!" announces an exultant Adevărul, while rival daily România Liberă regrets the damage that the affair will do to Romania’s image: "It is as though we were living in a village at the end of the world", writes the newspaper, which remarks that “the country, which is covered in shame,” is hardly ready to join the Schengen Area.

The Netherlands, one of the main opponents of Romania’s entry into the free movement area, has demanded that Bucharest obtain two consecutive positive reports from the Mechanism for Cooperation and Verification for its efforts in the fight against corruption and organised crime by 2013: “We can already see the Dutch smiling… Bye bye Schengen!"

Finally, Adevărul notes that "the evaporation" of the MP, who took advantage of parliamentary immunity, is proof that –

... the corrupt will always find ways to get around the law. We have a National Integrity Agency, but we are short on integrity. We have an Anti-Corruption Department, but we are overloaded with corruption. One thing is clear: the links between corruption, smuggling and the world of politics are still very tight.

The presidential campaign, which many believed would degenerate into squabbles over side issues, has finally got off the ground. Yesterday in Villepinte, Nicolas Sarkozy offered France a useful reminder of the importance of Europe in the destiny of the country [while] François Hollande continues to brandish his diminutive fists to demand a renegotiation of the European Fiscal Compact […] To reconcile the French population with Europe, a "political Europe that protects" and which must not be a "sieve", Nicolas Sarkozy wants to readjust ineffective mechanisms, reinforce convergence between states, and protect borders. This is the reason for the review of so-called Schengen Agreements, which do not take sufficient account of migration flows into the Union, at a time when member states do not have the resources to maintain their generosity.

On the contrary, left-wing daily Libération argues that in his speech of yesterday, Nicolas Sarkozy —

… attempted to assume the air of a statesman like Mitterrand who was careful to nurture popular support for the European project. But not everybody can be Mitterrand. In his decision to issue arrogant edicts on the issue of immigration, Nicolas Sarkozy has dragged Europe into the mire of his electioneering.

For its part, news website Mediapart points out that —

… the recourse to ultimatums which are presented as a method of governance is inspired by major populist leaders in Europe: in particular the conservative nationalist Lech Kaczynski, who was the author of several theatrical outbursts on the European stage during his time as Polish president, [...] Czech President Vaclav Klaus and even the Hungarian leader Viktor Orban.

In Berlin, alternative daily Tageszeitung notes that French President Nicolas Sarkozy “has moved a few steps to the right” —

A bit further and he will fall into the arms of the Front National’s Marine Le Pen. [...] Will Angela Merkel continue to support her Nicolas no matter what happens? With other conservative government leaders, she took up a position against the socialist candidate François Hollande, who wanted to flesh out the fiscal compact, but not to torpedo it. Now it seems that Sarkozy is eager to modify four European treaties. France remains as baffling as ever.

According to La Stampa’s Brussels correspondent Marco Zatterin, a “stressed Sarkozy” is trying to wow far right voters by attacking Schengen, even if it means contradicting his support for last year’s reform proposal that put control of the border union in Brussels’ hands. In any case —

… if he is elected again, he will probably find a way to do a U-turn, like the one he did in 2008 when he began the summer as a eurosceptic and finished it as a founding father of Europe.

According to the report, Bucharest and Sofia have made progress but the fight against corruption at the highest levels of the administration is still sluggish, especially in Romania, the paper notes. The report calls on Romania to make magistrates more accountable and to discourage corruption through the application of exemplary punishments and the confiscation of ill-gotten gains. The CVM also suggests the implementation of a national anti-corruption strategy and the exclusion from parliament of MPs or senators convicted of corruption. In spite of the progress achieved, Romanian Minister of European Affairs, Leonard Orban, told the paper that the Netherlands, the main opponent to the entry of Romania or Bulgaria into the Schengen Area, will not change its position until the CVM presents its final report this summer.

In Bulgaria, the release of the CVM report was overshadowed by reports on the inclement weather and the declaration of a day of national mourning to honnour the eight victims of flooding in the village of Bisser in southern Bulgaria. Nonetheless, on-line news site Medipool says the report is "very critical" of Bulgaria and highlights that, for the first time, there is no mention in the report of Sofia's "political will" to fight corruption and to implement the necessary judicial reforms.