Bulgaria's Foreign Minister Daniel Mitov has called on Brussels to lift the EU's Mechanism for Cooperation and Verification (CVM) introduced the country amid its EU accession in 2007.



In a meeting with Romanian Ambassador to Bulgaria Anton Pacuretu, he has also urged "mutual support" of Sofia and Bucharest which would make it easier for both countries to join the Schengen area without border control, the Foreign Ministry says in a statement.



His comments about Schengen come against the backdrop of Deputy Prime Minister Meglena Kuneva, who warned last week Romania could be decoupled from Bulgaria in CVM reports and join the area earlier.



Mitov and Pacuretu have also discussed the project for a Vertical Gas Corridor announced this week in a move to integrate gas networks of Bulgaria, Romania and Greece.

They have also agreed their respective countries should boost cooperation in the Danube region.