site.btaMEP Eugen Tomas Supports "Romania Deserves Schengen" Petition, Brings Action before EU Court of Justice

Romanian MEP Eugen Tomas, President of the People’s Movement Party whom local media say is the most dedicated supporter of his country's accession to Schengen, launched a "Romania deserves Schengen" petition across the nation in March. By June 1, he and his team had collected 52,000 signatures, including online on www.romaniainschengen.ro.

"As a Romanian citizen and a Member of the European Parliament, I brought an action against the Council of the EU before the Court of Justice of the European Union to annul Austria's illegal vote. To be successful, however, the European Parliament needs to be involved in this process. That is why I have submitted a petition to the European Parliament's Committee on Petitions asking the Parliament to intervene in the case I have already filed," Eugen Tomac said in an exclusive interview for BTA.

On December 8, 2022 Austria blocked Romania's Schengen accession without any solid arguments. "It abused the veto right, pursuing electoral interests related to domestic politics and thus violated the EU Treaties", the MEP believes.

Tomas says the petition is actually an act of protest, for his country has been ready to join the Schengen Area since 2011. He perceives Austria's vote on December 8 as the last straw and is adamant no country has the right to violate the EU Treaties and the rights of EU citizens, which was why he decided to take the case to the Court of Justice. The specific objective: to annul the decision of December 8 and to recognise Romania's right to be in Schengen. The petition is "a means of expressing our indignation and achieving justice. Romania and Bulgaria deserve to be part of the Schengen Area," says Tomas. 

The signatures are attached to the petition which was submitted to the Committee on Petitions, requesting the European Parliament to intervene as a privileged party in the case he brought before the Court of Justice of the European Union.

Taking a question why Romania and Bulgaria have not acceded to Schengen yet, Tomas said it is because two countries that themselves do not comply with Schengen standards are blatantly against, even though the conditions have been fulfilled more than 12 years ago. Austria opposes Romania, Austria and the Netherlands oppose Bulgaria. This is an abuse of the law that must be corrected in the European Court of Justice.

Tomas is sceptical about the prospects for the two countries' accession to the Schengen Area by the end of 2023, although there is no scenario in which they would be divided in joining.