Recently, Romanian mass-media announced, in breaking news, that the European Parliament voted for a resolution which requests the immediate accession of Romania and Bulgaria into the Schengen space. But they argue that Romania is making considerable progress and that admission to the Schengen zone shouldn’t hinge on the corruption problems. Still, Romania has been a political mess for several years. Romania’s Schengen Accession is stipulated in its EU Accession Treaty, and the country has fulfilled all accession criteria, Victor Negrescu argues. Also, Romania and Bulgaria will be further bound to supervise the external border with Serbia, as well as the border section between Romania and Serbia, made up by the Danube River - between Bazias and the first Romanian - Bulgarian common border crossing point - Calafat - Vidin. Bianca Toma, an analyst at the Romanian Center for European Policies, a research organization in Bucharest, said that despite the success of Romania’s presidency of the bloc, “there is still mistrust in the new members of the club.”, But Romania “is making progress toward being the country the E.U. Moreover, Romania agreed on the relocation of immigrants according to the rules proposed by the European Union. Schengen is also important for business and for travel, he noted, since Romanian citizens and Romanian trucks must pass through border controls, complicating their participation in Europe’s single market. Under condition of anonymity, an official noted that Romania's accession to Schengen is a "very sensitive issue" for the EU. So is the opening of Romanian borders with Hungary a matter of time? Rapporteur Sergei Stanishev (S&D, BG) said: “Today, the Civil Liberties Committee reaffirmed that Bulgaria and Romania should become fully-fledged Schengen members, and rejected the prospects for partial accession with air and maritime borders first, and then, eventually with land borders. A deadly nightclub fire in 2015 that prompted huge demonstrations brought down one government, and protests reignited in the face of institutional corruption and what many saw as efforts to undermine the judiciary, including the firing of Laura Codruta Kovesi, chief prosecutor of the National Anticorruption Directorate, in July 2018. Subscribe to our daily news digest. In December, during the voting in the European Parliament, a vast majority of MEPs voted for the accession of this country and Bulgaria to the group of countries with free border crossing. 30/2007 on the organization and functioning of the Minister of Interior and Administrative Reform Decision no. However, a final decision must be taken unanimously by the European Council, which will be chaired by Romania in the first part of 2019. Romania, a country who has long ago fulfilled the Schengen acquis, both legal and technical, is still being kept out. Initially scheduled for March 2011, Romania’s accession to the Schengen free movement area, alongside Bulgaria, has been repeatedly postponed. MEPs reiterated on Monday their call on EU Ministers to take a swift and affirmative decision on the accession of Bulgaria and Romania as fully-fledged members to the Schengen area. Romania has fulfilled almost all its commitments, therefore, we are very close to open the doors to out Romanian friends – Dimitris Avramopoulos said. In the Accession Treaty of Romania and Bulgaria to the European Union, integrating the Schengen Area is defined as a priority. Romania and Bulgaria have met all technical criteria for Schengen accession in 2011, but have been prevented from joining by continued monitoring under the Co-operation and Verification Mechanism (CVM), which tracks the success of efforts towards judiciary reform and the fight against corruption and organised crime. The Commissioner said that even though the Romanian accession to the Schengen zone was very close, there were still some unsolved technical problems. 163/2016 the Directorate – General European Affairs, Schengen and International Relations was created and it’s coordinating and monitoring the activities of the institutions and authorities responsible in the field in view of completing the Schengen accession process and the participation of Romania to the Schengen evaluation mechanism./p> 882 of July 5, 2006 on establishing the National Schengen Auto evaluation Commission “We showed solidarity during the migration crisis and took people from boats in Malta, and we expect this solidarity to be returned.”, But the migration crisis has complicated matters, he said, noting that, “Political correctness now means you can be tougher on fellow Europeans.”. That vote saw support for the Social Democrats to fall by nearly half, and the rise of an alliance of two new parties, the Save Romania Union and Plus, which was founded by a former European commissioner, Dacian Ciolos. Subscribe to our daily news digest. By MHA Order no. European Parliament backs report calling for Romania, Bulgaria accession to Schengen “I urge President Iohannis to ask for our accession to the Schengen area … The statement made by the EU Commissioner quoted by zf.ro is clear: “I would like to convey a clear message to our Romanian friends: Romania will very soon become a member of the Schengen area. The Treaty of Accession 2005 is an agreement between the member states of European Union and Bulgaria and Romania.It entered into force on 1 January 2007. Accession of Romania to the Schengen Area: www.schengen.mira.gov.ro. 30/2007 on the organization and functioning of the Minister of Interior and Administrative Reform Decision no. 514 MEPs were for, 107 were against and 38 abstained. Romania’s becoming an EU member on January 1, 2007 ushered in a new stage calling for preparing and taking necessary measures to lift controls at internal borders with a view to joining the Schengen Area. The EU Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos assessed that Romania had fulfilled its commitments thanks to which it should technically be able to join the Schengen zone soon. Other relatively new members of the European Union, such as Croatia, are not submitted to such oversight. pursuant to Rule 115(5) of the Rules of Procedure. The country has long borders, but it has invested heavily in protecting them, and Romanians tend to think that they have as much right to be part of the passport-free area as Schengen members like Hungary, which has similar problems with corruption and is seen as a bigger violator of the rule of law, not to mention Norway and Iceland, which are not even members of the European Union. France and Netherlands Remain Unsupportive of Romania, Bulgaria and Croatia’s Schengen Accession. A vote on the accession of Romania as well as its southern neighbour Bulgaria to the Schengen zone was conducted by the European Parliament. The European Commission and the European Parliament support At a summit meeting in Sibiu, Romania, in March — the showpiece event of Romania’s presidency of the European Union — Prime Minister Mark Rutte of the Netherlands was blunt. The European Parliament members called on the admission of Romania and Bulgaria in the Schengen Zone in June 2011 for the first time. There may be problems with trade with Serbia, Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova as Hungary is the only member of the Schengen zone bordering Romania. A year ago, at the end of December 2018, the resolution for the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen Area was accepted by the European Parliament, calling for a swift action of the Council of the European Union. The ministers of the interior of Bulgaria and Romania sent to the Schengen Evaluation Working Group, in March 2008, a common political declaration, where March 2011 was settled as a common date for the Schengen area accession.. Currently, twenty-six European countries belong to the Schengen zone. Liviu Dragnea, the head of Romania’s largest political party, the Social Democrats, who is serving a prison term for abuse of power. Accession to the zone entails the unification of the border check standards, visa system, work of services and data protection. Cooperation and Verification Mechanism Reports on Bulgaria and Romania. A vote on the accession of Romania as well as its southern neighbour Bulgaria to the Schengen zone was conducted by the European Parliament. Since then, the MEPs have showed their support several times. “We see it as discrimination,” George Ciamba, the Romanian minister for European affairs, said in an interview. Amid the Coronavirus outbreak, the European Union has published several guidelines and recommendations to the Member States, as an effort to help them gradually put an end to travel restrictions and revive the tourism industry. wants it to be,” she added, noting, “From civil society, the young, those with connections abroad, there’s significant resistance, involvement and commitment to change the negative side.”, “If we look at the politicians only, we can get pessimistic,” she said. Member. No other countries considered to have met the criteria have been kept out. He said that as Romania was the fastest growing country in the EU - 5.7 percent this year and 4.4 percent in 2018, according to … Romanian officials have important jobs in Brussels, including Mircea Geoana, who was just named deputy secretary general of NATO, the first person from the old Eastern Bloc to have the job. “There are several issues mostly of technical nature which have to be dealt with. The country has successfully protected its borders, he added, having blocked much of the smuggling between the Russian and Italian mafias. May 14, 2019. Initially scheduled for March 2011, Romania’s accession to the Schengen free movement area, alongside Bulgaria, has been repeatedly postponed. Then came the fall of Mr. Dragnea and, later, the collapse of the coalition government. European Commission's report on developments in Romania under the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism. The special monitoring was supposed to be a transitional measure, but it remains in place 12 years after Romania and Bulgaria joined the bloc. The Commissioner said that even though the Romanian accession to the Schengen zone was very close, there were still some unsolved technical problems. binding on Bulgaria and Romania from the date of accession, shall only apply in each of those States pursuant to a Council decision to that effect after verification in accordance with the applicable Schengen evaluation procedures that the necessary conditions for the application of all parts of the acquis concerned have been met in that State. “It is this feeling that the E.U. “I think we should look reality in the face and admit that Romania has fulfilled all Schengen accession criteria. Among all EU countries, except for Romania, only Bulgaria, Croatia and Cyprus do not belong to the zone. The Romania Schengen ETIAS When Romania joins Schengen, it will form a part of the shared visa program for the area. Excluding Romania “is not only unfair but illogical — the routes of migration are not across Romania,” he said. The area mostly functions as a single jurisdiction for international travel purposes, with a common visa policy.The area is named after the 1985 Schengen Agreement signed in Schengen, Luxembourg. According to the Ministry, the main topic of discussion … However, unlike then, Romania now has an overwhelming majority of EU countries supporting them There is prejudice here, and it harms us. Romania remains one of the only four EU members that are not part of the Schengen Zone, not including the UK and Ireland that chose to opt-out. would be valid for all member states then I wouldn’t be speaking about a double standard,’’ Ms. Dancila told the British newspaper The Guardian in July. Mr. Geoana, the designated NATO deputy secretary general and a former foreign minister, calls the Schengen matter “a deeply political issue,” laced with prejudice. Accession to the Schengen Area. Romania’s accession to the European Union: Legislative: The National Strategy for Accession to the Schengen Area Schengen action plan Decision no. Local elections follow in summer 2020, with parliamentary elections scheduled for fall of that year. They say the real reason behind the veto is that Romanian accession to Schengen would allow goods from Romania to circulate in the largest EU … Schengen accession: Croatia on the way to join the Schengen Area . Bulgaria was re-evaluated at the end of March 2011 in the field of land borders. binding on Bulgaria and Romania from the date of accession, shall only apply in each of those States pursuant to a Council decision to that effect after verification in accordance with the applicable Schengen evaluation procedures that the necessary conditions for the application of all parts of the acquis concerned have been met in that State. Bulgaria, Romania and the EU-25 signed the Treaty of Accession on 25 April 2005 at Luxembourg's Neumuenster Abbey.. “We’ll see a significant change of the political landscape,” she said. Marian-Jean Marinescu, Andrey Kovatchev, Carlos Coelho, Manfred Weber, Simon Busuttil, Monica Luisa Macovei, Mariya Nedelcheva, Elena Oana Antonescu, Georgios Papanikolaou, Véronique Mathieu on behalf of … The European Commission considers that Romania and Bulgaria meet all the conditions to join the Schengen area, said Mina Andreeva, EC spokesperson. This is not a matter of time but we have to discuss final details. Images may not be used without permission. “There are several issues mostly of technical nature which have to be dealt with. According to Ambassador Hurezeanu, Romania’s accession to the Schengen Zone will probably happen during the next European Council summit, which is set to take place in June this year. report, in November, Frans Timmermans, then the European commissioner for the rule of law, said, “I regret that Romania has not only stalled its reform process, but also reopened and backtracked on issues where progress was made over the past 10 years.’’. There are five recognised candidates for membership of the European Union: Turkey (applied in 1987), North Macedonia (applied in 2004), Montenegro (applied in 2008), Albania (applied in 2009), and Serbia (applied in 2009). June 24, 2020. Accession to the Schengen Area – a Further Delay for Romania Florinel Iftode 1 Abstract: In this paper we make a complex presentation of Schengen area means in the European area and we will establish exactly the steps that Romania has to take in its attempt to join this area. – having regard to the questions of 29 September 2011 to the Council and the Commission on the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to Schengen (O-000224/2011 – B7‑0440/2011, O-000225/2011 – B7‑0621/2011, O-000223/2011 – B7‑0439/2011), – having regard to Rules 115(5) and 110(2) of … At the end of May, the EP reiterated in a resolution that Romania and Bulgaria are ready to join the Schengen area and asked the EU Council to approve the accession of the two states. on the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to Schengen. Earlier this week, German Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich said he would veto German Support for the Ruling Coalition in Moldova, Representatives of the European Union Thank Romania for the Half-Year Presidency. Romania and Bulgaria were judged by the European Commission to have met all necessary technical conditions for full Schengen membership as far back as 2011. the Schengen zone of passport-free travel, is serving a prison term for abuse of power, Asked when Romania would be able to join Schengen. The statement was made on Tuesday by the European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, who said: As regards Romania's accession to the Schengen area, I will repeat what I have already said before, … Romania and Bulgaria have definitely met all the criteria for their Schengen accession and the European Union supports this move. Europe Bulgaria and Romania push to join EU's Schengen Area. Presidential elections in November are expected to be closely fought. All have started Subscribe to our daily news digest. Romania still needs to convince certain countries that their accession to the Schengen Area will not pose a security risk. The Treaty arranged accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the EU and amended earlier Treaties of the European Union.As such it is an integral part of the constitutional basis of the European Union At that time, it was said that both countries were to join the zone “as soon as possible” but the date was not specified. Romania’s Schengen accession also ranked high on the agenda for talks between Romania’s President, Klaus Iohannis, and European Commission President, Jean-Claude Juncker. If content prepared by Warsaw Institute team is useful for you, please support our actions. On 13 September 2017, in his State of the Union speech, President Juncker said that the necessary steps should be taken for Romania to join the Schengen areas as soon as possible. We are very close. Now Ms. Kovesi is expected to become the bloc’s first chief public prosecutor, over the objections of her own government. 882 of July 5, 2006 on establishing the National Schengen Auto evaluation Commission This back then implied a commitment to a future integration to the Schengen Area. Correcting course, he added, “is the only way Romania can resume its path toward the conclusion” of the monitoring process. The recent resolution of the European Parliament of December 11 reconfirms that Romania is fully prepared to join the Schengen Area. Prime Minister Viorica Dancila has also complained about the special monitoring of corruption and judicial reform carried out by the European Commission on Romania and Bulgaria, known as the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism. Also, Romania and Bulgaria will be further bound to supervise the external border with Serbia, as well as the border section between Romania and Serbia, made up by the Danube River - between Bazias and the first Romanian - Bulgarian common border crossing point - Calafat - Vidin. The European Parliament (EP) adopted on Tuesday, December 11, the non-legislative report calling for admission of Romania and Bulgaria as full members in the Schengen area. Romania and Bulgaria have definitely met all the criteria for their Schengen accession and the European Union supports this move. So is the opening of Romanian borders with Hungary a matter of time? Romania’s Schengen Accession in Jeopardy Over Rule of Law. Romania’s Minister of Internal Affairs, Ion Marcel VELA and European Commissioner for Internal Affairs Ylva Johansson have met this week and discussed topics such as the future Pact on migration and asylum and Romania’s accession to the Schengen, Romania’s Ministry announces. Romanians acknowledge continuing problems with corruption and oligarchy — after all, the man once considered to be the most powerful politician in the country, Liviu Dragnea, the head of the largest party, the Social Democrats, is serving a prison term for abuse of power. France wants to delay a decision on allowing Romania and Bulgaria to join Europe's border-free Schengen zone at least until summer 2011 and is pressing for more results in the fight against corruption and a better surveillance of the border with Moldova. The Treaty arranged accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the EU and amended earlier Treaties of the European Union.As such it is an integral part of the constitutional basis of the European Union Juncker was unmistakable in stating that if Romania failed to rework its proposed reform it would adversely affect EU discussions about accession to the Schengen Area. Romania’s accession to the European Union: Legislative: The National Strategy for Accession to the Schengen Area Schengen action plan Decision no. BUCHAREST, Romania — More than 12 years after joining the European Union, Romanians are getting increasingly grumpy. Moreover, Romania agreed on the relocation of immigrants according to the rules proposed by the European Union. Many of those workers are young, well-educated Romanians seeking a better life elsewhere in Europe. They have not been allowed to join the Schengen zone of passport-free travel, and they are still under a special program to monitor corruption. EU slams Romania for not tackling corruption At the same time, there was good news for Bulgaria and Croatia's possible entry into the Schengen zone. The European Commission warned Romania on Monday that it should reverse the … Artwork promoting European Union values on a wall in Siniu, Romania. I closely cooperated with the Romanian authorities. 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