Ministerial hearings/Predoiu wants new approach of Schengen area accession issue.
Catalin Predoiu, the pick for home affairs minister in the incoming government, said on Wednesday after hearings by Parliament’s committees that it would be risky for him to predict the date on which Romania will enter the Schengen area, but he considers that Romania has to do more than “stand at the Schengen gate and say that we are technically prepared,” as complex action is necessary because “locked gates open from the inside.”
After the hearings in Parliament, Predoiu was asked by journalists if there are hopes for Romania to join the Schengen Area while he is the home affairs minister of the country, told Agerpres.
“First of all, speaking of Schengen, my thoughts go to all those who, within the Home Affairs Ministry (MAI) , deal with the security of Romania’s borders, because they have succeeded in raising the security of Romania’s borders to a European standard, to a Schengen standard , which is demonstrated by all the technical evaluation missions. So, my respect to those who work in the field of border security. I believe that Romania can even export expertise in the field of border security,” said Predoiu.
In his opinion, Romania should do more than stand at the “Schengen gate,” and devise complex action because “locked gates open from the inside.”
“Without a doubt, there is this objective on MAI’s agenda. Further, of course, the necessary strategies and tactics must be thought out, but I don’t think that’s a problem that only concerns Romania; I don’t think it’s only a problem for Romania, it’s one and the same problem of the application of treaties. It is also a matter to the attention of the European Commission and, not coincidentally, the European Commission supports Romania for accession to the Schengen Area. It is also a problem of the other member states that has supported Romania. So it is a European subject that should be dealt with in a European manner and I think we need to think about a complex action related to this subject. I don’t think that just standing at the Schengen gate and saying that we are technically prepared is enough, I think we have to do a little more than that; as a rule the locked gates open from the inside and I think we should understand more of what is happening inside, what the grievances and challenges of the member states of the Schengen area are, understand them and tackle them with a suitable strategy. But, at this point, to say more than that would be amateurish, and I’m not a fan of amateurism. I think it would be risky to make a prediction at the moment; it would be even more than just risky, it would be unprofessional,” said Predoiu.