Romania ‘will continue efforts to accede to Schengen’

Romania will continue its efforts and the dialogue with all concerned partners in order to accede to the Schengen Area, stated the Romanian chief diplomat Teodor Baconschi, who participates, in Berlin, to the reunion of the Ministers of Exterior in the NATO members countries.

Baconschi reiterated that our country meets the objective criteria to accede to the Schengen Area, and for the other issues a compromise should be found, according to the radio correspondent, Mălina Andronescu.

‘We have to be constructive, open, to work with the Hungarian presidency, with Berlin and Paris to create an agenda, a compromise solution. We are ready, we are set.

‘Bulgaria did its homework too. We are waiting for the approval from the European Parliament, but, obviously, as long as these doubts persist in matters not covered by the Schengen aquis, we can reach a common solution only by open dialogue, not through the media and indirect declarations’, stated the Minister.

The reaction of the Minister of Exterior come after, on Thursday, his correspondents in France and Germany expressed their doubts again regarding Romania and Bulgaria’s chance to meet the criteria to accede to the Schengen Area.

Previously, the Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, had declared that Romania and Bulgaria ‘do not benefit from political support’ from important countries for the accession to the Schnegen area.

Viktor Orbán, whose country currently ensures the presidency of the European Union, declared again that Romania is technically prepared for the accession, while Bulgaria will be ready in May, when the Bulgarian authorities complete the final preparations on the border with Turkey, where there have been constant problems.


Translated by: Manuela Stancu
MA Student, MTTLC, Bucharest University