CHISINAU (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th December, 2022) German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Tuesday that the issue of Romania's accession to the Schengen visa-free area should be put on the agenda of the European Union as soon as possible as Bucharest has done a lot to join in.
On December 8, the EU interior ministers agreed on the accession of Croatia to the Schengen area but postponed decisions on Bulgaria and Romania due to objections from Austria, which accused the two countries of making weak efforts to fight illegal migration.
"Romania and Bulgaria have done a lot to prepare for accession to the Schengen area. In particular, Romania has made great efforts and meets all the requirements. I am convinced that accession to Schengen will follow. To do this, it is important to quickly put this issue back on the EU's agenda," Baerbock said in an interview with the Digi 24 broadcaster.
She added that the refusal for Romania to accede to the visa-free area is a "geopolitical mistake" of the Union.
Currently, the Schengen visa-free area includes 26 countries, all EU member states except Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Ireland, and Romania, as well as non-EU members: Norway, Iceland, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. In 2018, the European Parliament noted that Croatia should join the Schengen area as soon as it meets the necessary criteria.
