EU regrets delay in opening borders to newcomers

BRUSSELS, Sep 13 (Reuters) The European Commission expressed regret today for a postponement in the opening of its internal borders to new member states, saying it will seek to minimise the delay.

The European Union had originally planned to allow the 10 mostly ex-communist states which joined the bloc two years ago into its border-free ''Schengen'' area in October 2007.

But technical and legal problems in building a new central police database look set to delay the expansion of the borderless area for at least a year, which prompted harsh criticism from the newcomers led by the Czech Republic.

''We are aware of the frustration of the citizens of new members states,'' European Commission spokesman Friso Roscam Abbing told reporters. ''We regret this and we will try to minimise the delay.'' He responded to a statement from the Czech Foreign Ministry, which lambasted the delay, saying it meant Czech citizens could not take full advantage of free movement, one of the EU's fundamental freedoms.

Roscam Abbing declined to say how long the delay might be, but a confidential Commission report obtained by Reuters last week showed it could be at least a year.

An October debate of the EU's 25 Interior ministers on setting new targets for the enlargement of the Schengen zone is expected to be stormy, diplomats said.

Abbing said the Commission, the EU executive, should not be blamed for the delay as preparations in both old and new member states have been slow in some areas.

''There are many (players) ... who could be blamed for this.

I suggest we stop putting the blame on one side,'' he said.

Diplomats from some new member states suspect privately that some Schengen countries might be using technical pretexts to delay letting them into the borderless zone at a time of growing public fears of immigrants.

The Schengen police database stores details of stolen vehicles and people searched by the police in EU member states.

Thirteen old EU member states plus Norway and Iceland are member of the Schengen border-free zone, which Switzerland is also to join.

Britain and Ireland chose not to be part of it.

The EU newcomers are Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia.

Reuters PB RS1931