Predoiu, after Romania entered “Air Schengen”: The decision to expand land borders will be political

The Minister of Internal Affairs, Cătălin Predoiu, declared that Romania’s entry into the Schengen family with air and maritime borders is an important moment, while the decision to expand with land borders will be a political one.

“Today, March 31, 2024, we mark an important moment for Romania, important for the European Union, Romania’s integration into the Schengen area with air and maritime borders. It is a concrete project, a result of some technical, administrative, diplomatic and political efforts of Romania. From a technical point of view, this achievement was possible by fulfilling all the Schengen conditions. In order to secure the borders, legislative, procedural, administrative and institutional reforms were necessary, as well as the intensification of international cooperation. Each step was calculated and carried out to guarantee the internal and external security of the Schengen area, while also protecting the fundamental freedoms of our citizens”, said Predoiu in a message sent on Sunday by the MAI, quoted by Agerpres.

He also stated that, with the entry into Schengen, Romanian citizens will enjoy increased mobility, passing through the Border Police checkpoints without the need to check their travel documents.

Predoiu also claimed that the efforts for accession and with the land borders are continuous and through multiple diplomatic channels, as well as through the field work of the Border Police and other structures of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

“They are programmed and structured efforts that are taking place in good conditions. Cooperation relations with the corresponding Austrian ministry are very good, as well as with the European Commissioner and the other ministries of the interior of the EU member states. We maintain continuous communication with all our strategic partners to support efforts for full Schengen accession. However, the prospects of the second stage also depend on factors that are not in the sphere of diplomatic intervention of our country, on external political developments and conjunctures. The decision to extend land borders will be political, just like the decision regarding Air Schengen. But, equally, I am convinced that the process is irreversible and that its complete realization cannot be delayed too much”, adds the Minister of the Interior.

Austria avoided giving a deadline for Romania’s full accession to Schengen

At the beginning of March, the Austrian Minister of the Interior, Gerhard Karner, insisted that he must first see how the entry of Romania and Bulgaria into Schengen with the air and sea borders will go from March 31, and only then will he think about the next step , access with land borders: “Anything else is counterproductive.”

Present at the meeting of the ministers of interior and justice of the EU, Gerhard Karner was asked by journalists if in the near future something will change in Austria’s position regarding the full entry into Schengen of Romania and Bulgaria, according to News.ro.

“We had a very open and intense dialogue at the beginning of the year and we reached a compromise that will enter into force at the end of this month, more precisely at the end of March, the so-called Maritime Schengen and Air Schengen,” said Gerhard Kerner, referring to the agreement reached for Romania and Bulgaria to enter Schengen with air and sea borders.

At the same time, the Austrian interior minister suggested that Vienna is in no hurry to make a decision regarding land borders, preferring to see how this partial Schengen works and then “think about it”.

“I think it’s very important that we implement this compromise first, take this step and think about the next step after that,” Karner told journalists in Brussels who had raised the issue of Austrian companies’ grievances because the “blockade” at the borders with Bulgaria and Romania makes it difficult for them to do business.

“Anything else is counterproductive,” countered Gerhard Karner. “I think it is wrong to speculate about the next step before the first step has been taken,” the Austrian interior minister pointed out. “We should see how it works (compromise – no) and then the next steps are possible.

“Taking the second or even third step before the first is completely wrong and counterproductive, and sometimes leads to people not being happy with how the mechanism works,” Karner insisted.