The technical evaluation commission for Schengen released favourable report on Romania

The expert commission of the European Commission that had an evaluation mission in Romania, to see if the conditions for Schengen accession are met, was satisfied with the results, according to government sources.

The purpose of this mission was to gather additional information on Romania’s implementation of visa policy, data protection and judicial cooperation in criminal matters. The team of experts, which also included representatives of the Netherlands, visited Romania and found on the spot that Romania applies the Schengen acquis in an exemplary manner. The experts observed that Romania respects all the European norms in force, and the staff of the evaluated Romanian authorities apply the European procedures to the highest standards. The team that carried out the ascertainment mission concluded that our country continues to meet all the necessary conditions for the full application of the Schengen acquis.

The team did not identify any problems with regard to Romania’s application of European rules on visas, data protection and judicial cooperation. Regarding the Schengen IT systems, the experts found that Romania has properly equipped its authorities, and the IT infrastructure is exemplary. Romania has everything necessary to implement the new European information systems. The team of evaluators did not identify any problem in relation to the application of the Schengen acquis by Romania in the field of data protection. Specifically, it was found that Romania complies with the applicable data protection rules when using the Schengen Information System and the Visa Information System.

Also, according to experts’ findings, judicial cooperation in criminal matters in Romania works well. Romania actively engages in judicial cooperation with other member states to combat crime, including human trafficking, migrant trafficking and organized crime groups. The additional fact-finding mission confirms the results of the voluntary fact-finding mission that took place in October 2022. The fact-finding team considers that Romania continues to meet the necessary conditions for the application of all relevant parts of the Schengen acquis.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed the report, published today, of the voluntary complementary evaluation mission regarding Romania’s implementation of the Schengen acquis, a mission successfully carried out for Romania, on November 17 this year, in Bucharest and Istanbul, informs the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a press release.

The MFA states that the complementary visit took place under the coordination of the European Commission, with the support of EU Council experts and national experts from the Czech Republic, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden, and included dedicated components on visa policy and data protection.