Minister of the Interior Lucian Bode, in remarks at Wednesday's government meeting where Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca asked him to present the conclusions of the talks held at the informal Justice and Home Affairs Council in Prague, immediately after the Czech Republic's taking over the EU Presidency, declared that Romania will request a voluntary evaluation at European level in September, of its Schengen bid.
"On the sidelines of the Justice and Home Affairs Council (JHA) meeting in Prague, I had the opportunity of a bilateral meeting with Commissioner Ylva Johansson, on which occasion I asked for support to speed up the process of Romania's Schengen accession. I would like to say, Mr. Prime Minister, that we are at the stage where we await a voluntary evaluation, which we will request at the first technical meeting. (...) We intend to have this evaluation done in September, with the member states' experts, so that at the first meeting of the JHA Council in October 2022 we be able to present all the required details and show that we meet all the technical requirements so that Romania gets a favorable decision," said Lucian Bode.
He brought to mind that the assessment of Romania and Bulgaria, as regards their fulfilling the technical requirements for accession, was made 11 years ago.
"Romania meets the technical requirements to join the Schengen Area. Romania is calling on the Commission, on the member states, for a balanced approach to the obligations Romania is taking up as the manager of the largest border of the European Union, no less than 2,070 kilometers, and the rights that Romania must enjoy in terms of the free movement of persons, goods and services. (...) I am confident that Romania is on the right track and that it also benefits from the fulfillment of its obligations assumed in the regional security context, as it has proven that the security of national borders and of the EU the borders is ensured. Therefore, under the Czech Presidency, we are in the position to seek the approval of the Schengen expansion file, and I am obviously referring to the three countries: Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania, mentioning them in alphabetical order," Bode said.
Prime Minister Ciuca reiterated his call on all the institutions involved in finalizing the steps related to Romania's joining the Schengen Area. AGERPRES
Comentează