Schengen Access for Romania: Negotiations Set for Second Half of 2024

According to Romanian daily Adevarul, negotiations for Romania's full accession to the Schengen area are slated for the latter half of 2024, as revealed by undisclosed political sources.

While the timetable for Romania's comprehensive Schengen access, including land borders, remains uncertain, discussions on achieving this milestone are expected to unfold after the European elections scheduled for June 6-9.

However, the momentum toward this goal was questioned by MEP Dacian Ciolos, who criticized Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu's exuberant declaration regarding Romania's Schengen air and sea accession.

Ciolos cautioned against premature celebrations, emphasizing that Austria's Interior Minister's recent statement had refuted Ciolacu's earlier claims about abolishing land customs controls. He urged the Prime Minister to recognize the sensitivity of such statements, insisting on responsible leadership in negotiations.

Ciolacu's social media announcement on December 27 highlighting the Schengen benefits for Romanians on air and sea routes from March 2024 was swiftly countered by Ciolos' critique. The exchange unfolded following the Romanian Interior Ministry's announcement of a political agreement reached on December 23 with Vienna and Sofia's interior ministries to extend the Schengen area to Romania and Bulgaria's air and sea borders from March 2024.