Slovak foreign minister Miroslav Lajcak stated in Bucharest on Tuesday that Romania has met all criteria to join the Schengen area and that there is no excuse to for the process’ delay. The Slovak minister added that Romania is protecting with professionalism the EU borders.
“I want to reiterate Slovakia’s strong support for Romania to join Schengen. We are strongly lobbying for Romania’s joining Schengen for you’ve met the criteria and there is no excuse to delay this process,” Miroslav Lajcak told a press conference in Bucharest within the Annual Meeting of the Romanian Diplomacy.
The Slovak FM stressed that his country will share from its experience at the helm of the EU’s council when Romania is taking its first mandate at the EU council presidency, in the first semester of 2019.
In his turn, Romanian FM Lazar Comanescu thanked his Slovak counterpart for his country’s constant support on Schengen, adding that he hopes the European partners will understand that our admission means added value.
“I hope our EU partners will finally understand that Romania’s joining Schengen would added value to the EU’s capacity to cope with the security challenges, be it domestic or foreign security,” FM Comanescu stated.