President Klaus Iohannis said, on Wednesday, that he discussed with the Prime Minister of the Government of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, about Romania's accession to Schengen, voicing the hope that the political conditions for our country's entry in the space of free movement will be met as soon as possible.
"I discussed with Mr. Prime Minister Rutte about the legitimate expectation of Romania and of our citizens to join the Schengen area. I reiterated all the arguments that support the fact that our accession as soon as possible is not only necessary, but also extremely opportune," said Klaus Iohannis at Cincu, at the Getica National Joint Training Centre, Agerpres informs.
He reiterated that Romania meets the technical requirements regarding its Schengen membership and already acts as a de facto member of this space for the protection of the Union and its external borders in the full spirit of European solidarity.
"We are an integral part of the reform of the Schengen area and we are actively involved in efforts to modernize and make it more efficient. Romania's accession will contribute to the security and consolidation of the Schengen area, as we have proven, among other things, through the extensive effort of our country to manage to the Schengen standard of the over 2.5 million Ukrainian citizens who have already crossed our borders. We hope that the political conditions for Romania's accession to the Schengen area will be met as soon as possible in a European context in which the consolidation of the Union's resilience as a whole and I repeat, unity of action and solidarity, are particularly important," said the head of state.
Iohannis is visiting the Getica National Joint Training Centre together with Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca and the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.