France Vows to Help Romania Join Schengen

Bulgaria in EU | April 18, 2011, Monday // 16:02|  views

Claude Gueant, French Interior Minister. File photo

France is willing to help Romania "cope with the assessment criteria and join the Schengen Agreement, Claude Gueant, French Interior Minister, declared Monday in Bucharest.

France wants to renew the friendly dialogue with the Balkan country, Gueant said on a joint press conference with his Romanian counterpart, Traian Igas. The relations between the two states worsened after France deported nearly 1000 Roma citizens in the summer of 2010, most of whom were Romanian citizens, and after it opposed Romania's Schengen entry anytime soon.

A mechanism is being prepared, which will allow police officers from different EU countries to be located on Romania's borders as part of the efforts to ensure security, Gueant announced. He underlined that Romania will have a strategic role in the Schengen Agreement once it is accepted, since it would be a gateway to the EU.

Later on Monday, Claude Gueant will also visit Bulgaria, but will not inspect the country's border crosspoints as previously announced, his Bulgarian counterpart, Tsvetan Tsvetanov revealed, as his stay will be too short.

Bulgaria and Romania have already met the technical criteria for joining Europe's border-free zone, but they are supposed to overcome the political objections to their Schengen accession on behalf of several EU member states which have demanded greater results from Bulgaria in fighting crime and corruption – even though those requirements are not technically part of the Schengen process.

Last Thursday, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe and his German counterpart, Guido Westerwelle reiterated that Bulgaria and Romania are not ready to join Europe's border-free zone at this moment.

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Tags: France, Romania, Schengen Agreement, Claude Gueant

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