site.btaRomanian Interior Minister Predoiu Marks 'Air Schengen' Entry by Visit to Austria

Romanian Interior Minister Catalin Predoiu visited Austria on Tuesday to mark his country's "air Schengen" entry on March 31.

"We worked hard and invested a lot for this accession to the Schengen area. We raised the level of border protection. We invested hundreds of millions of euro. Romania's progress in combating illegal migration is acknowledged by all. Illegal migration at the border with Serbia is zero. We want to achieve such performance at all borders," Predoiu told a joint news conference with his Austrian counterpart Gerhard Karner at Vienna Airport on Tuesday.

The event was livestreamed on Facebook by Romania's Interior Ministry.

Predoiu said that Romania will reinforce its border police forces and added that the fine cooperation with Austria and all other EU Member States will continue. Replying to a journalist's question, he recalled that Romania is not the first country to enter Schengen stage-by-stage, abolishing passport controls at one type of border first and than on others.

"There are several such examples in the history of the Schengen area. If I am not mistaken, even Austria was in this situation," he added.