The completion of Romania’s accession to Schengen is “of paramount importance,” President Klaus Iohannis said at the annual meeting with the heads of diplomatic missions accredited in Bucharest.
“Romania is already contributing and remains committed to contributing to a secure and efficient Schengen area. From this point of view, the completion of Romania’s accession to Schengen is of utmost importance. Another key priority is to close the Romanian supervision through the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism to assess progress made in the area of the independence and efficiency of the judiciary. The Romanian authorities are fully committed in this regard,” the president said at the Cotroceni presidential palace.
He further pointed out that “a fully integrated Schengen area is essential for strengthening the internal market.”
Recalling that this year marks the 15th anniversary of Romania’s accession to the European Union, Iohannis emphasized that “during this period Romania has fundamentally changed – a clear confirmation of the transformative power of the European project. Respecting and promoting European values – democracy, rule of law, fundamental rights, market economy – define Romania today.”
We are concerned about our security situation in the neighbourhood, concrete de-escalation necessary
Romania is concerned about the security situation in its neighborhood caused by the “mass” deployment of Russian troops near Ukraine and its implications for Euro-Atlantic stability, President Klaus Iohannis said at the annual meeting with Romania’s staff . the diplomatic missions accredited in Bucharest, and emphasized the need for concrete de-escalation on the ground.
“Romania is actively involved in the strategic interest processes at NATO and EU level regarding developments in the Eastern and Black Sea neighbours. We are, of course, concerned about the security situation in our neighborhood caused by the massive deployment of Russian troops near Ukraine and its implications for Euro-Atlantic stability,” the president said at the meeting at Cotroceni Palace.
He recalled that an important interaction is taking place in the framework of the NATO-Russia Council, which complements the Russian-US strategic stability dialogue at the beginning of the week, on which the Romanian authorities were informed in real time. He mentioned in the context the objective of the full operationalization of the Euro-Atlantic Center for Resilience in Bucharest.