Hungarian foreign minister calls for Romania’s accession to Schengen Area

The Minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Affairs of Hungary, Szíjjártó Peter, declared on Tuesday, in Oradea, that Romania should have already been part of the Schengen Area, a context in which economic relations between Hungary and Romania, including those in cross-border areas, would he had more to gain.

He added that he wants to ask the European Commission to reopen the file on Romania’s accession to Schengen.

“We believe that Romania should have already been part of the Schengen Area, but a series of lies and false statements were circulated that prevented Romania’s access to the Schengen Area. I don’t think we can talk about illegal migration or the pressure of illegal migration when it comes to Romania and I don’t think this is a reason for Romania not to enter the Schengen Area. The economy of Romania, Hungary and cross-border areas would benefit from Romania’s entry into the Schengen Area. That is why I would like to request the European Commission to reopen Romania’s file for accession to the Schengen Area as soon as possible. We hope that the two countries that have expressed their right to veto will change their position. And we hope to be able to take advantage of bilateral relations and this cooperation as much as possible. We will support Romania with all efforts to join the Schengen Area,” said Minister Szíjjártó Peter, quoted by Agerpres.

According to the Hungarian dignitary, the cooperation between Romania and Hungary is a strategic one, and the Interreg programs, implemented in seven-year cycles, have an important role in this field.

Romania, like Bulgaria and Croatia, was certified last year by the European Commission as being ready for Schengen, after years of preparations. However, the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen area failed, due to Austria’s opposition, in December. The Netherlands also had reservations about admitting Bulgaria.

The Minister of the Interior of Austria, Gerhard Karner, did not give in even after his visit to Bucharest at the end of April. He told the Romanians that he has “great understanding” for their expectations, that the authorities have made progress in securing the borders and managing migration, but that there is still a “long way to go”.

The official from Vienna repeated the same figures with which he prevented Romania’s accession to Schengen: last year, over 110,000 people entered Austria illegally, of which over 80,000 were unregistered, and the border protection system is still non-functional.