MEP Eugen Tomac, president of the People’s Movement Party (PMP), voiced conviction on Tuesday that Romania would enter the Schengen area sooner than through political negotiations following the approach he made to the Court of Justice of the European Union against the Council of the EU.
“We have very good news, the request we submitted to the Court of Justice of the European Union against the Council of the European Union, regarding the injustice done to Romania on December 8, last year, by which our free access to the Schengen area was restricted, is submitted and officially registered at the Court of Justice of the European Union. I am convinced that we will have a lawsuit, I am convinced that following this Romania will enter Schengen. (…) I believe that through this lawsuit we will succeed in reaching the Schengen area much earlier than through political negotiations. I saw, on December 8, the JHA Council entered with a proposal and left the Council with two decisions. Croatia accepted, Romania and Bulgaria, unjustifiably, without any argument, rejected. So, I think that from this point of view it is very important to understand that here we no longer have a political conflict but a legal conflict”, Tomac told a press conference at the PMP headquarters.
He added that the agenda of the JHA Council from March 9 does not include the extension of the Schengen area for Romania and Bulgaria.
“Unfortunately, there is a lot of discussion about Schengen in this meeting, but the expansion of the Schengen area for Romania and Bulgaria unfortunately, it is not on the agenda, as our decision-makers have assured us countless times. It is clear that there is continue this unjustified opposition of Austria and no progress has been made on this file. Therefore, we will continue this approach in court. It is essential that we can regain the dignity of the Romanians through this case that we opened at the Court of Justice of the European Union against the Council of the European Union, because we are witnessing an abuse of law and, obviously, this legal conflict must be resolved there”, explained the PMP leader.
“It will take a while until, obviously, all the parties will be summoned. I, in this case, have the status of a non-privileged plaintiff, so I justify my interest by the fact that my activity as a MEP is affected. In the next period I will take all the necessary steps so that behind me, in this process, the European Parliament, which has the status of a privileged plaintiff, is also involved. In this process, in addition to the cancellation of the action I am asking for, I am also asking for something extremely important, namely that the MEPs may have, starting with this decision, the right to be privileged plaintiffs, so the possibility to challenge any deed of the Commission or the Council at the Court of Justice of the European Union, because, as you know, the members of the European Parliament do not they have the right of legislative initiative (…) The European Parliament itself obtained the status of privileged plaintiff in the relationship with the Council and the Commission following a case at the Court of Justice of the European Union”, said Tomac. AGERPRES