Romania should already be in Schengen, Hungarian foreign minister says
During a visit to Oradea, Hungary’s minister of foreign affairs, Peter Szijjarto, stated that Romania should already be part of the Schengen Area and that if that were the case, the economic relations between Hungary and Romania, including those in the border areas, would have more to gain.
Szijjarto was present in Oradea, western Romania, to mark the launch of the Interreg VI A Romania-Hungary Cross-Border Cooperation Program.
"We believe that Romania should already be part of the Schengen Area, but a series of lies and false statements have been circulated that have prevented Romania from accessing Schengen. 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 that this is a reason for Romania not to enter the Schengen Area,” the minister said, cited by Digi24.
“The economies of Romania, Hungary, and the border areas would benefit from Romania's entry into the Schengen Area. That's why I would like to ask the European Commission to reopen Romania's case for accession to the Schengen Area as soon as possible. We hope that the two countries that have exercised their veto rights 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 through all the steps to join the Schengen Area," said the Hungarian official.
According to Szijjarto, cooperation between Romania and Hungary is of strategic importance, and Interreg programs, implemented in seven-year cycles, also play an important role in this field.
"Cooperation between the two nations allows for better connectivity, closer relationships, and a better life together, in the neighborhood. The border is an element that unites, that creates a cultural and economic connection between the two nations. This program will give a new impetus to economic cooperation between our countries, being a success story. However, the event that will lead to the culmination of these successes will be Romania's entry into the Schengen Area," said the Hungarian minister.
The Interreg VI A Romania-Hungary Program (cross-border cooperation) for the period 2021-2027 is the third cooperation program after Romania's accession to the EU and has a total budget of EUR 176 mln, of which EUR 140 mln are European funds, the rest being contributions from the two states.
"Today, May 9, 2023, on Europe Day, I can say that the Romania-Hungary cross-border cooperation program, aside from solving the specific problems of [local] communities, creates and strengthens links between communities in the cross-border area through the strategic nature of these projects. Links that undoubtedly increase the value of these investments," said Romanian minister of development Attila Cseke.
"Cross-border cooperation has become increasingly important. However, some obstacles have also been identified. According to surveys, administrative obstacles are the biggest barriers to integration. We need to identify solutions for border areas to overcome them. Therefore, we have proposed the cross-border cooperation mechanism, which would allow them to benefit from the potential they have," said Slawomir Tokarski, the director for European Territorial Cooperation.
"The most important element is the consolidation of trust in the cross-border area. Trust is the basis of cooperation, solidarity, and the cornerstone of the European project, especially today when we are living in times of divergence. Let's turn borders into bridges," said the EC representative.
(Photo source: Peter Szijjarto on Facebook)
