Romania deserves to be in Schengen

Tomorrow’s Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting will witness a vote on Schengen access for Romania.

Currently, it appears that Austria is the only country to consider opposing Romania’s accession, with the Netherlands and Sweden, which had previously expressed reservations, announcing that they will support Romania's accession.

One of the topics for blocking Romania was related to the migratory flow through the Western Balkans, with Romania allegedly being one of the countries on the migrants’ route.  However, official FRONTEX data openly contradicts the Austrian allegations given that Romania is not on the main route chosen by migrants to reach the Schengen area.

In addition, with regards to the prevention of secondary movements, it should be mentioned that Romania respects the readmission provisions, returning illegal migrants from Hungary and Bulgaria, which highlights strong cooperation with the Hungarian authorities.

Last week, the European Commission ruled in favor of expanding the border-free Schengen area to include Romania, Bulgaria and Croatia.

In October 2022, 15 EU Member States experts alongside with three European agencies and the European Commission assessed Romania’s technical compliance regarding border management and police cooperation, the functioning of the Schengen Information System and how the country implements the returnees’ policy.

The conclusion was clear: Romania acted adequately for the efficient management of external borders. Romania ensures high-quality border surveillance and controls, including systematic checks of all passengers in relevant databases, through its trained border police officers, border control equipment and state-of-the-art technologies. International cooperation with neighboring states is working well, as is the active cooperation with Frontex.

Additionally, registration of both asylum seekers and illegal migrants is a key priority for Romania. The country has paid particular attention to improving its return system in order to combat illegal migration and prevent unauthorized secondary movements. The necessary measures and tools have been put in place, with sufficient resources in terms of staff and infrastructure, to ensure that third-country nationals without a right of residence are returned. There is a consistent approach to return and readmission, from arrest to removal.

Romania manages international police cooperation in an efficient and active way and respects the requirements of the Schengen acquis in this field. Romania has signed operational agreements with its neighbours, which allow for cross-border surveillance and tracking. The Schengen Information System is well established in Romania.

Romania has recently passed two voluntary technical evaluations. The reports drawn up by the experts were extremely positive and confirmed the fact that the country meets all the requirements to be part of the Schengen area. The conclusions of the missions highlighted that Romania is an example of good practices at the European level regarding the application of Schengen legislation.

The structures of the Interior Ministry have made considerable efforts and succeeded through investments and continuous improvement work to meet the Schengen acquis at high standards. Maintaining these high standards involves a significant consumption of resources that have been allocated in particular from the state budget, in a gesture of solidarity towards European security and the safety of all European citizens.

These are strong arguments that demonstrate that Romania meets all the conditions for accession to the Schengen Area. It’s time for Europe to act.

www.politico.eu/article/denying-romania-bulgaria-and-croatias-schengen-bid-will-weaken-the-eu/

www.diepresse.com/6224136/oesterreich-das-ungeschicktere-ungarn?from=rss

www.diepresse.com/6224097/das-inszenierte-bdquoschengenproblemldquo?from=rss

www.derstandard.at/story/2000141491916/nur-oesterreich-ist-noch-gegen-den-schengen-beitritt-rumaeniens.

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