PM: Romania’s Schengen entry, denied for obsolete political reasons

For more than five years, Romania’s access to the Schengen area has been denied for political reasons “that at the moment seem totally obsolete given the realities we all face,” Romanian Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos said on Monday, August 29, at the Annual Meeting of the Romanian Diplomacy. Talking about terrorism, which has become a serious threat in Europe, Ciolos said that it could only be fought with common ideas, solutions, and actions. However, according to him “we too often found ourselves without the information and tools we need to take pro-active policies.” “We needed more than a year after the first terrorist attack in Paris to adopt a decision on passenger name and record at European level. This shows that even in times of crisis our responses at Community level remain cumbersome,” Ciolos said. “And I have to recall here the essential role of the cross-border cooperation, the continuous exchange of data between our authorities, and the fact that, for more than five years, Romania’s access to the Schengen area was denied for political reasons that at the moment seem totally obsolete given the realities we all face.” According to Ciolos, Romania and its Government have seriously reflected on all these realities. “Unequivocally, Romania is counting on the resilience and regenerative capacity of the European project, and is committed to invest diplomatic and political resources in this sense,” the Romanian Prime Minister added. EC: Romania meets all the conditions to join the Schengen area Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com (Photo source: Gov.ro)