Romanian president Klaus Iohannis said on Friday, October 7, that the Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte would travel to Romania next week to visit the troops stationed here.

“Prime Minister Rutte is coming next week to visit the Dutch troops stationed in Cincu [military base],” president Iohannis said before attending the informal meeting of the European Council in Prague.

During the same statement, Klaus Iohannis also talked about Romania’s bid to join the Schengen area, saying that the country has met all the technical conditions since 2011.

“Schengen is neither about resources nor about other things. It is about technical criteria that must be met, especially on border control, migration control, and so on. Since 2011, we have met all the technical conditions,” the Romanian president said.

He added: “In the meantime, we are effectively, so de facto, part of a series of programs and procedures related to Schengen and we are doing our job very well there. But apart from that, it is clear that the unity and solidarity we’re talking about in Europe must also exist between us. And then, my opinion, our opinion, is that all the formats that bring us together must be completed. The Schengen format allows the free movement of people, and I think this is also important for Romanians to consider themselves Europeans with full rights.”

President Iohannis also said that he’s convinced that the security of Europe and the control over the movement of people coming from outside would be significantly improved if Romania, Bulgaria and Croatia were co-opted into the Schengen area.

The Netherlands is one of the countries that have repeatedly expressed doubts related to Romania’s entry to the Schengen Area.

Romania’s possible membership to the Schengen area was also debated in the European Parliament this week, proving that a clear majority of MEPs back this idea. Former minister of external affairs Cristian Diaconescu, analyzing the results of the EP debate, told Digi24 that Romania will most likely be welcomed into Schengen by January 1, 2023. Meanwhile, interior minister Lucian Bode said this could happen after a vote in the Justice and Home Affairs Council on December 8.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

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