Prime minister Marcel Ciolacu announced before the government meeting on Thursday, November 7, that Romania could enter the Schengen Area with its land border in the spring of 2025. He also said an informal decision could be reached before the second round of the presidential elections on December 8.

According to Ciolacu, the process could be formalized by the end of December, with implementation starting in March of next year. This would allow Romanians to travel without controls at the EU’s land borders by Easter holiday in 2025.

Marcel Ciolacu has made similar statements in the past, setting the deadline for accession by yearend.

"I believe there will be a COREPER (Committee of Permanent Representatives in the European Union) meeting, followed by a decision at the JHA (Justice and Home Affairs) Council on December 13, based on the COREPER vote. The implementation would take place in March, just like for air travel. They will need about three months for the necessary software adjustments. Most likely Romanians will be able to travel within Schengen for the Easter holidays," stated Marcel Ciolacu.

Romania became part of the Schengen Area with its airports and ports only in March of this year. Land borders, which are extensively used to transport goods, but also used by people traveling to other countries in their personal cars, are still in place due to Austria’s opposition.

Seeking to temper the PM's optimism, interior minister Cătălin Predoiu stated that discussions and negotiations are still ongoing but that there is currently "no formal decision taken at the JHA Council level or within the Ministries of Internal Affairs.”

"The best public signal we can give in the context of these negotiations is that Romania will continue to provide political, legal, and institutional support for border protection and continuously improve its capacity to combat illegal migration," Predoiu added, according to News.ro.

He also noted official and informal talks with counterparts in Austria, Hungary, and Bulgaria.

"Additionally, I have maintained regular contact with Commissioner Ylva Johansson, other European officials, and recently with the new commissioner, Magnus Brunner, with whom I had an initial discussion in Vienna back in September. I welcome the position recently expressed by Commissioner Magnus Brunner during European Parliament hearings, where he voiced support for Romania and Bulgaria's rapid entry into the Schengen Area with land borders," the minister said in a press release.

On Tuesday, November 5, the EU Parliament's Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs questioned Magnus Brunner, Austrian candidate for the Internal Affairs and Migration portfolio. Brunner said that free movement is vital for Europe’s competitiveness and that border checks are disruptive to its citizens. 

Although his position offers him no direct say in Schengen enlargement, he was also optimistic about the prospects of Bulgaria and Romania fully joining the Schengen area, and said that he would push for this. The comment is important, seeing as Austria is the only state opposing Romania's inclusion into Schengen. Brunner is also part of the ruling center-right Austrian People's Party, the party of Austrian chancellor Karl Nehammer, who previously opposed Romania's accession.

radu@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Gov.ro)