Support for the Schengen accession
Heated debates on Romanias accession to the Schengen area have been held both in Bucharest and Strasburg.
Daniela Budu, 19.01.2023, 13:50
In the context of the launch of the Swedish presidency of the Council of the EU, Romanian MEPs have required the Stockholm authorities support for the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen area. Also, the European Commission representatives have made it clear that the two countries place is in the Schengen area, as they meet all accession criteria. Sweden will chair the informal Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting on January 25-27 and, on March 9 and 10, the first Council with an official agenda, in Brussels. Swedish PM, Ulf Kristersson, has promised that the Schengen topic will be on the meetings agenda. Previously, the Swedish ambassador with the EU, Lars Danielsson, said negotiations with the parties involved had been initiated, but that a vote on the two countries accession would not be programmed until an accord with the countries that oppose it was reached. During the debates in Strasbourg, Romanian MEP Dan Nica has requested PM Kristersson that the Swedish presidency should make Romanias Schengen accession a priority of its mandate: “Romania and Romanians have been denied a fundamental right, that of being full European Union citizens. I urge you right this wrong.
In his turn, Romanian MEP Sigfried Muresan called on the Swedish PM to keep this topic on the agenda of the EU Council. I believe that, if there is political will, there are good chances for the accession to be decided in the upcoming months, until the end of the Swedish presidency, MEP Dacian Ciolos said in turn. Dacian Ciolos: “Blocking legitimate access to Schengen, at the end of last year, was a huge disappointment, which can have incalculable consequences unless the issue is actively approached and solved in the upcoming months. I expect the new presidency to fix this injustice with tact, through pro-active mediation, with realistic solutions to the current blockages mostly by Austria and the Netherlands. Otherwise, any discussion about European solidarity will be regarded with a lack of confidence, and will have the opposite effect precisely with the Romanian citizens, who have not only shown solidarity with the EU values, but also a deep attachment to them.
In Bucharest, President Klaus Iohannis said that the success of having the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM) lifted, must be extended this year, with Romanias well-deserved Schengen accession. Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu has been given assurances, by his Czech and Polish counterparts, that Bucharest will be strongly and actively supported. Moreover, the Greek minister for migration and asylum, Panagiotis Mitarachi showed his support by paying a visit to Romania. “The absence of Romania and Bulgaria is a handicap for the Schengen area itself, PM Mitarachi, who last week launched a diplomatic initiative in support of the two countries, said in an interview with Agerpres news agency. During his visit to Vienna, he told Austrian authorities that protecting the EU external borders in Bulgaria and Romania can be nothing but a positive thing for the European Union. (EE)
