Romania’s Schengen Accession Vote Not Part of JHA December Meeting Agenda

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Romania's accession to the Schengen Zone will not be voted on during the Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting on December 5.
• The agenda item for Romania and Bulgaria's Schengen accession is seen as a crucial opportunity, with pressure from various entities to finalise their inclusion in the free movement area.
• Discussions are anticipated without a formal vote, considering ongoing negotiations for a new government in the Netherlands.

The accession of Romania to the Schengen  Zone will not be subject to a vote during the meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs Council (JHA) scheduled for December 5.

Earlier this month, the Member of the European Parliament, Vlad Gheorghe confirmed that Romania and Bulgaria’s accession to the Schengen Zone has officially been included in the Justice and Home Affairs’ meeting scheduled for December 5 this year.

He stressed that the mention in the agenda of the Council is almost the same as last year’s, from the session where Vienna’s opposition kept both these two Balkan countries waiting at the gates of Europe for another year.

It’s the last chance for our country, and we’ll see if all the pressure exerted by the Commission, the Parliament, and each of us has worked, and Romania will finally become a part of the European free movement area, as it rightfully deserves since 2011.

Vlad Gheorghe

According to the News.ro report, during the meeting that will be held next week, the discussion on Romania and Bulgaria to the passport-free travel zone is expected without a formal vote, taking into account negotiations for a new government in the Netherlands.

JHA’s provisional agenda suggests that discussions on the general situation in the Schengen Zone, and a possible debate on the Council Decision regarding the full application of Schengen provisions in Bulgaria and Romania are scheduled for December 5th.

According to the Euractiv report, Bucharest is attempting to arrange an Extraordinary Council meeting with a potential debate on the Council Decision regarding the full application of Schengen provisions in these two countries.

In spite of Austria’s position, recently, the Social Affairs Minister of Austria, Johannes Rauch expressed on the X platform that Romania’s Schengen accession would benefit Austria and Romania.

Both Austria and Romania would benefit greatly from Romania’s Schengen accession. It would have advantages for many companies and would also be a great relief for the 30,000 24-hour caregivers on whom thousands of families in Austria depend.

Rauch

The accession of these two countries to the Schengen Area was blocked by Austria and in the case of Bulgaria by the Netherlands as well, over irregular migration concerns.

In spite of the fact that both Romania and Bulgaria have met all the needed requirements, the process has not been finished yet.