L 161/30 Official Journal of the European Union 20.6.2008 DECISIONS ADOPTED JOINTLY BY THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL DECISION No 582/2008/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 17 June 2008 introducing a simplified regime for the control of persons at the external borders based on the unilateral recognition by Bulgaria, Cyprus and Romania of certain documents as equivalent to their national visas for the purposes of transit through their territories THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE (2)  According to Article 4(2) of the 2005 Act of Accession, EUROPEAN UNION, the provisions of the Schengen acquis on the conditions and criteria for issuing uniform visas, as well as the provisions on mutual recognition of visas and on the equivalence between residence permits and visas, apply in Bulgaria and Romania only pursuant to a Council decision to that effect. However, they are binding on those Member States from the date of accession. Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 62(2) thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, (3)  Bulgaria and Romania are therefore required to issue national visas for entry into or transit through their territory to third country nationals holding a uniform visa or long-stay visa or residence permit issued by a Member State fully implementing the Schengen acquis or similar document issued by Cyprus, a Member State Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in not yet fully implementing it. Article 251 of the Treaty (1), Whereas: () The holders of documents issued by those Member States fully implementing the Schengen acquis and similar documents issued by Cyprus do not represent any risk for Bulgaria and Romania as they have been subjected to all necessary controls by other Member States. In order to avoid imposing unjustified additional administrative burdens on Bulgaria and Romania, rules similar to the common rules introduced by Decision No 895/2006/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 June 2006 introducing a simplified regime for the control of persons at the external borders based on the unilateral recognition by the Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia of certain documents as equivalent to their national visas for the purposes of transit through (1) Pursuant to Article 4(1) of the 2005 Act of Accession, Bulgaria and Romania, which acceded to the Union on 1 January 2007, are required from that date to subject nationals of third countries, which are listed in Annex I to Council Regulation (EC) No 539/2001 of 15 March 2001 listing the third countries whose nationals must be in possession of visas when crossing the external borders and those whose nationals are exempt from that requirement (%), to a visa obligation. (") Opinion of the European Parliament of 31 January 2008 (not yet their territories () should be introduced for Bulgaria and published in the Official Journal) and Council Decision of 5 June Romania 2008. ’ 2) OJ L 81, 21.3.2001, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by Regulation - p g y Reg (EC) No 1932/2006 (OJ L 405, 30.12.2006, p. 23). () O] L 167, 20.6.2006, p. 1.