site.btaRomanian MEP Dacian Ciolos Promotes Regional Schengen as Leverage against Austria’s Obstruction

According to Romanian MEP and former Prime Minister of Romania Dacian Ciolos, through the idea of a regional Schengen (opening the borders between Bulgaria, Romania and Greece), “we can put pressure on Austria to rethink the way it treats our countries and achieve full integration this year.”

In an interview with BTA, he said that it is in the interest of Romanian, Bulgarian and Greek citizens that the governments of the three countries find a legal technical solution for free movement. He is convinced that, from now on, the Schengen negotiations should be conducted in close coordination between the governments of Bulgaria and Romania. 

On January 25, together with Bulgarian MEP Daniel Lorer, Romanian MEP Vlad Gheorghe and Greek MEP Giorgos Kyrtsos, Dacian Ciolos proposed to abolish land border controls between Bulgaria, Greece and Romania. The four sent a letter to the Greek Minister of Immigration and Asylum, Dimitris Kairidis, arguing why this should happen.

“Our countries entered the European Union together and must continue to work together. As far as the Schengen negotiations are concerned, close coordination between the governments of Romania and Bulgaria is necessary, because only in this way will we obtain for our citizens all the rights that the others have,” Ciolos said.

“If we are to join the Schengen area by land by the end of the year, the most important thing is to keep the issue on the European agenda. Including through the idea of this regional Schengen, we can put pressure on Austria to rethink the way it treats our countries and achieve full Schengen integration this year,” he added.