Romanian Interior Minister Says Bucharest Fulfilled All Obligations For Joining Schengen

CHISINAU (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th September, 2022) Romania has already fulfilled all obligations to join the Schengen area but the country's residents still need to obtain visas, Romanian Interior Minister Lucian Nicolae Bode said on Friday.

Earlier in the day, Bode paid a working visit to Spain to meet with his Spanish counterpart, Fernando Grande-Marlaska.

"Romania has fulfilled all its commitments, but even today, more than 10 years after the completion of technical assessments, Romanian citizens are not allowed to travel without visas to other member states. Spain is one of our main supporters and a reliable European partner, and we continue to count on its support, confirmed this time as well," Bode told reporters.

As of now, 22 out of 28 EU countries are members of the Schengen agreement. The United Kingdom, Ireland, and Cyprus are not part of the Schengen area, while Romania, Bulgaria, and Croatia are on their way to joining the agreement.

Third-country nationals entering the European Union via Bulgaria and Romania require visas. In addition, citizens of Bulgaria and Romania cannot use the EU visa-free regime with the United States and Canada, since it only applies to states that are part of the Schengen area.