Romanian Prime Minister Promises to Join Schengen This Year

Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said that the country will fully join Schengen this year. This was reported by Digi24.

The prime minister's statement came in the context of the EU Home Affairs Council considering on Thursday whether Romania meets the conditions for full accession to the Schengen area.

Ciolacu is confident that Austria will change its mind about Romania's accession by December, saying that he is ‘in contact’ with Austrian Chancellor Karl Negammer.

When asked about the EU Council meeting today and whether Romania's accession to the Schengen area and land borders were ‘not on the agenda’, Ciolacu replied: ‘No, it's on the agenda, but it's not a vote, because you know as well as I do that the elections in Austria have just ended.

And it's very unlikely that Austria will change its mind just a few days after the election. I'm in contact with Chancellor Negammer, we'll see what kind of majority is created in Austria, and there will be another EU Council, I think, on 11-13 December. I hope that by then everything will be much clearer.’

The prime minister was optimistic about the date when Romania will fully join the Schengen area. ‘Romania will join the land-based Schengen this year,’ Ciolacu added.

Bulgaria and Romania became members of the European Union in 2007, and in 2011, they declared their desire to join the Schengen area.

However, in December 2022, EU interior ministers failed to approve Bulgaria and Romania's accession to the Schengen area. Austria and the Netherlands voted against, claiming that these countries were not doing enough to curb illegal migration.

Eventually, in late 2023, a consensus emerged on the ‘partial’ accession of both countries to Schengen, which implies the removal of checks at airports and seaports. The decision came into force on 30 March 2024.