“Romania must be in the Schengen Area (…) I am permanently in talks with the Netherlands and with other countries, telling them that Romania meets all the technical criteria to accede to the Schengen Area. The Dutch PM knows this and knows that I am expecting progresses from him in this regard,” Juncker told journalists in Bucharest when asked about the subject.
The Netherlands is one of the countries which opposes the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen Area, citing concerns on corruption and contraband.
“I would like for Romania to accede to the Schengen Area. I see no reason for which some governments refuse Romania’s accession to Schengen,” added the EU official, who also said that he is committed towards lifting the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism for the country, if the Romanian Government will make the necessary efforts in this regard.
This comes after European Parliament President Antonio Tajani also appealed member states blocking Romania and Bulgaria’s Schengen Area access to change their stance, during a speech at the official launch event of the countries EU Council presidency on Thursday.