Slovakian PM confirms country’s support for Romania’s long-awaited accession to Schengen, no new criteria expected

The accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen Area is strongly supported by Slovakia, said the country’s prime minister Roberto Fico, during the recent visit of the Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta (in picture, left) to Bratislava. According to Roberto Fico (in picture, right), there can’t be other accession conditions or criteria, besides the ones established initially. Romanian PM Victor Ponta also wanted to publicly thank the Slovak Interior Minister for the “highly determined and friendly” position he had in the Justice and Home Affairs Council, during talks about Romania’s accession to Schengen, according to local news agency Mediafax. “I consider Prime Minister Roberto Fico to not be only a partner, but also a personal friend and a man who, based on his experience, gave me good advice, and these good tips coming from a politician with the same values ​​as me, did me good,” said Victor Ponta during his visit to Bratislava, according to a post on his Facebook page. The visit to Slovakia has come immediately after an official trip to Germany, with the Romanian PM discussing European affairs and Romania's business interests with the two countries. Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com (photo source: Slovakian Government)