The first meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs Council under the Swedish presidency of the Council of the European Union will take place on January 25-27, according to the Council’s agenda. Although the meeting is informal, it is the first opportunity this year for Romania to request the inclusion of accession to the Schengen Area on the Council’s agenda.
The meeting will take place in the capital of Sweden, in Stockholm. “Official Council meetings are organized by the EU Council and chaired by the Council Presidency. However, each Council presidency also organizes informal meetings of ministers to discuss initiatives related to a specific topic or a specific Council formation,” the official website of the European Council states. Afterwards, the first meeting with an official agenda will take place on March 9-10, in Brussels.
Romanian MEPs say that accession to the Schengen area must be requested at the informal meeting from January 25-27.
“It is mandatory for Romania to take advantage of this moment to clarify the disagreements with Austria and to request a firm timetable for accession. It must also request that the Schengen extension be on the agenda of the JHA Council from March or June“, PSD MEP Victor Negrescu posted on Facebook.
“It remains to be seen if, this time, the dialogue, perseverance and negotiation capacity of the current government will be more successful than before. So, all eyes are on Stockholm, where, between January 25-27, an informal JHA Council will take place”, MEP Eugen Tomac’s post also reads.
President Klaus Iohannis stated at the end of last year, that Romania will become part of Schengen, pointing out that the stake is not the date when this will happen, but the entry into the free movement area. “My hope is that in 2023 Romania will enter Schengen with full rights. For me, I don’t think I’m expressing myself wrongly, it’s not a specific date when it’s being discussed that’s at stake, but Romania’s entry into Schengen is what’s at stake. Yes, the JAI Council in March would be, at least theoretically, a good time to discuss this issue“, said Klaus Iohannis.
At the same time, the president declared that “the best solution is for Romania and Bulgaria to enter the Schengen area together”.
At the JHA Council on December 8, Austria opposed Romania’s accession, while the Netherlands spoke against Bulgaria.