Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Internal Affairs Catalin Predoiu said on Wednesday that Romania is performing very well in combating illegal migration, mentioning that in the near and long term, the Government and Parliament need to develop a policy on legal migration.
Predoiu attended the "Migration Forum 2025 - Migration policies for a resilient and competitive Europe," an event organised by the Institute for Migration Policies.
"Fortunately, in our country there is currently no major challenge related to migration, as there is in other European states and beyond. We have not faced crises of illegal migration, nor incidents caused by illegal migration and this apparently stems from Romania's geographical position. In reality, we have no problems with migration because a great deal of work is being done in this regard, on the ground. We benefit from a solid legislative framework, stronger than that of other European states. (...) What is important in the immediate future and in the long term are the resources and logistics allocated to combating illegal migration, as well as a policy, possibly developed by the Government and Parliament, regarding legal migration," Predoiu said.
Predoiu explained that currently there is no strategy addressing what happens to legal migrants after they arrive in the country, where this labour force should be sourced from and for which economic specialisations, so as to avoid situations seen in some European states where illegal migrants have mingled within legal migrant communities, leading to cultural isolation and, in the medium and long term, potential security issues.
He stated that "in the past three or four years, Romanian authorities - the Ministry of Internal Affairs and its structures, primarily the Border Police, have focused on combating illegal migration."
According to Catalin Predoiu, on the one hand, if this phenomenon is left unaddressed and without resources, "it will grow and become uncontrollable."
"This issue was an important, if not essential, element in the Schengen file. We realised that until we resolved this matter, it would be very difficult to build a solid diplomatic position, no matter how ingenious that position might be. And then, we strengthened the capacity of the Border Police: we deployed more personnel, intensified their training, their specialisation and significantly increased investment in this area. The Border Police are now equipped with modern technology, both on land and in the air, including drones. We have created a true technological barrier. On the other hand, we realised that no matter how well equipped or well trained our Border Police are, without partnerships we cannot succeed," Catalin Predoiu added, mentioning that partnerships have been concluded with Bulgaria and Serbia, with Hungary and a bilateral programme with Austria.
The Minister of Internal Affairs stated that Romania is not facing illegal migration.
He also referred to managing the crisis stemming from Ukraine. "Over 6 million people have crossed Romanian territory from Ukraine to Western Europe or other more distant countries, without major security incidents, without security risks, without uncontrolled rises in crime, we have had good cooperation with these people, some of whom remained in Romania - around 100,000, with families, who are already integrated," Predoiu said.
The Deputy Prime Minister underscored that a policy on legal migration is necessary.
"Returning to legal migration, a responsible policy does not mean just opening the doors to cover economic gaps, a responsible policy also means investment in integration, training, cultural dialogue, demographic balance, (...) research on neighbouring states that can export labour, ensuring the security aspect, in order to make sure you import specialists for various professions, not specialists in organised crime or other offences up to terrorism and ensuring that these people understand the culture, observe the country's laws, engage in a fair dialogue with the majority and avoid conflicts or sectarianism, which can sometimes tear apart even very strong countries and disrupt major cities and Western communities," Predoiu added.
Romania is, for now, performing very well in terms of combating illegal migration and enforcing the Schengen rules, the Deputy Prime Minister underscored.
"We are open to the world to facilitate legal migration, so as to support economic exchanges, industrial development, foreign investment, but this thing must be done while ensuring security and a long-term, coherent policy for the social and cultural integration of these communities into our country," Predoiu added.
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