Romania demanded this Monday that European Union (EU) member states unblock before the end of the year its entry into the Schengen free movement of people area recommended by the European Commission but not implemented by Austria and the Netherlands.
Romania and Bulgaria are outside this space, despite being members of the EU, and their accession has been supported by the European Commission for ten years.
“We are not talking about a specific June or October date, but personally I hope that the accession process will be completed this year, analyzing the best moment for Bulgaria to jointly join [espaço] Schengen,” said Romanian President Klaus Iohannis at a joint press conference with European Council President Charles Michel.
Klaus Iohannis emphasized that “this is not a problem of Bulgaria or Austria”, assuring that the entire EU should deal with the migration issue.
At the end of 2022, shortly after the Commission issued its latest recommendation to open the Schengen area to Croatia, Bulgaria and Romania, Austria, one of the European destination countries and a transit point for migrants entering Europe through the so-called Balkans, declared its opposition , considering the expansion of the Schengen Agreement “inappropriate”.
In the EU, only Bulgaria, Romania, Ireland and Cyprus are not yet included in this group.
“This issue must be resolved soon so that our citizens continue to believe that the EU is a free trade area, as well as freedom of movement,” said Iohannis.
Charles Michel also said this Monday that Romania meets all the conditions for joining the Schengen area and called on the EU for a quick solution.
“We must make a decision as soon as possible on Romania joining the Schengen area,” Michel stressed at the same press conference, quoted by Agerpres.
Charles Michel added that he is convinced that Romania’s accession to the Schengen area will make the EU a safer place.
The Schengen Free Movement Area allows citizens to travel within the area without a passport, and controls are lifted, although there are temporary exceptions.
Currently, 26 countries representing 420 million inhabitants are part of this area, of which 22 are EU member states, including Portugal, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
Author: Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
I am Michael Melvin, an experienced news writer with a passion for uncovering stories and bringing them to the public. I have been working in the news industry for over five years now, and my work has been published on multiple websites. As an author at 24 News Reporters, I cover world section of current events stories that are both informative and captivating to read.