Romania is in a better position compared to a year earlier on its way to full accession to the Schengen area, the country's interior minister Katalin Predoyu told an informal meeting of community ministers in Hungary.
"We are in a better position than last year because we were a non-member country and now we are a Schengen member. Yes, it's true, with only two out of three boundaries, but we're still inside the boundaries of space," Predoyu said.
According to him, it is not a precedent for a member state to significantly delay its full integration after partial entry. Asked when he expects full accession, Predoyu suggested a one-year period as a plausible expectation.
"There are no precedents for such delays. Romania is not the first country to enter Schengen in stages. Even Austria experienced a similar phase-in," he explained, stressing that the process is irreversible once a country is partially integrated.
However, Predoiu also noted that the current political situation is more complicated than last year, with the upcoming formation of the European Commission and elections in various European countries, including Romania. These factors, according to the minister, contribute to the dynamic nature of the accession process.
“Political questions and positioning debates continue in many countries. For example, the Netherlands recently held elections and formed a new government, which will affect its position on various files. This context adds several variables to the accession process," Predoyu added.
BGNES recalls that the Netherlands was one of the countries that for years opposed and blocked the membership of Bulgaria and Romania. As the main reason, the governments of Mark Rutte pointed out the weak control on the borders of the two countries.
Only at the end of last year, the former Dutch Prime Minister stated that Bulgaria had made visible progress on the criteria for joining the Schengen area. And the Netherlands had to account for that, "So we have to be fair. Otherwise, it would just be stupid," Rütte admitted in December 2023, during the EU summit in Brussels.
And if Bulgaria was criticized, at the end of last year the Netherlands looked favourably on Romania and declared that it was ready for Schengen, but it would have to wait until neighbouring Bulgaria also received a "green light". "It's a bit of a shame," State Secretary Erik van der Burgh admitted at the time.
And one more fact that shows that The Hague looks more favourably on our northern neighbours. The very news of the partial acceptance of the two countries officially came precisely from the embassy of the Netherlands in Bucharest and was quickly spread around the sidelines of the European Commission. "We congratulate both countries for a job well done," the letter said. | BGNES
------
Apostol Apostolov, especially for BGNES.
