Speaking in the European Parliament, meeting for the last plenary session of 2023, Social Democrat MEP Victor Negrescu stressed that “the chances of Romania joining the Schengen area, at least by air, have increased as a result of the adoption of a more flexible position by the Netherlands and Austria”. In this regard, he explained the advantages of Romania’s accession to the Schengen area with air borders, “a first step in the process of full accession to the free movement area”.

“Romania’s accession to the Schengen area by air is an advantage for our country and a first step in the process of full accession to the free movement area, because #RomaniansDeserveSchengen”, the European Parliament’s Quaestor pointed out, referring to the campaign he started to achieve this country’s goal.

In his view, our country’s accession to the Schengen area by air and sea brings important benefits:

– Romanian citizens will find it easier to travel to other Schengen countries, gaining a right they deserve. We are talking about millions of passengers a year. This also means that Romanians in the diaspora can return home more easily by air, taking advantage of the numerous airports in Romania, many of which are in the process of being expanded and modernised. We are basically paying back these key investments economically and developing airport infrastructure.

– Romania will be able to transport essential goods more easily into the Schengen area using air transport. This applies to the transport of medicines, emergency transport, transport of sensitive technical equipment, transport of parcels or logistical transport with a civil-military component.

– Our country will become more attractive for investment, foreign investors, and tourists. They will be able to travel faster and better connect their branches in Romania with those in other Schengen countries. In fact, in 2022, 585 million of the 900 million tourists who travelled abroad came to Europe, representing 65% of the global total, making the Schengen area the most visited area in the world. At the same time, Romania has the potential to host several large-scale events.

– Romania’s accession to the Schengen area by sea will facilitate increased trade, speeding up the transport of goods on this route, making Romania the main gateway to the European Union from Eastern Europe. Already, the Port of Constanta has seen an increase of more than 15% in the amount of cargo handled in 2022 compared to 2021, the third highest increase among European ports, and 1.6% of the volume of maritime port transport, expressed in terms of goods loaded and unloaded in European maritime transport, was carried out via Romania at the previous year’s level.

– Entry into the technical mechanisms ensures the connection of consular services, empowerment of border staff and unlimited access to all decision-making mechanisms and processes in the Schengen area. Romania earns its right to be at the decision-making table in the free movement area, making the process irreversible.

In early December, Austrian interior minister Gerhard Karner confirmed that Vienna is willing to soften its position and veto on Romania and Bulgaria’s accession to the Schengen free movement area. At the end of December, Romania’s entry into the Schengen area was formalised by a decision adopted unanimously by all EU member states.

Thus, “by entering by air, sea and consular means, Romania becomes part of the Schengen technical mechanisms. This is an important step forward, considered by many to be impossible after the disaster of last year and the failure of all the governments of the last 13 years.

From March 2024, Romanian citizens, tourists and business people coming to Romania will be able to move freely using the country’s airports, goods being transported by sea or air will arrive without additional controls at their destination and our country will issue Schengen visas”, said MEP Victor Negrescu.

At the same time, he said that “today, once again, the Social Democrats are doing the right thing for Romania internationally, unblocking a situation that seemed impossible after last year’s failure. PSD took Romania into the EU and NATO, prepared the Presidency of the EU Council and now, with Marcel Ciolacu as Prime Minister, we are entering the Schengen area after 13 years of waiting. But it is also a victory for the coalition, in the face of anti-European movements, because through great efforts we have brought the necessary stability to enter the Schengen area and complete the CVM”.