Minister of Internal Affairs Catalin Predoiu met on Wednesday and Thursday with Nicolas Warnery, ambassador of the French Republic, and Willemijn van Haaften, ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Bucharest, informs a press release sent to AGERPRES by the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MAI).

At the beginning of the meeting held at the ministry headquarters, minister of Internal Affairs Catalin Predoiu and French ambassador Nicolas Warnery recalled the privileged bilateral cooperation relations, which have already become a model of good practices.

The Romanian minister extended congratulations for the organization of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in the summer and autumn of this year, the Romanian MAI participating with 15 representatives in the joint efforts to ensure the security of the two major sports events, the cited source mentions.

„Next, the Romanian official recalled the measures adopted both at the national level and those agreed with immediate neighbors and EU Member States, which have had the effect of reducing, almost to zero, the migratory pressure at Romania’s borders. These measures were mainly aimed at strengthening cooperation and intensifying the exchange of information with the states in the region and with European partners,” the press release states.

At the moment, Romania has ongoing projects with all neighboring countries: Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, Ukraine, with „very good” results, aimed at organizing joint patrols, exchange of experience, strengthening information exchange, and drawing up risk assessments, the ministry says.

Cooperation with European agencies has also played an important role in achieving these significant results. For the coming period, the lifting of internal land border controls remains Romania’s most important objective, for which the Ministry of Internal Affairs is working in an integrated manner, every day.

French Ambassador Nicolas Warnery expressed his appreciation for the important efforts made by the Romanian authorities to finalize the Schengen dossier, which are really impressive, mentioning that the support of the French Republic remains unchanged. According to the cooperation partner, Romania must be a full Schengen member state.

Minister Catalin Predoiu also met Dutch ambassador Willemijn van Haaften on Thursday, with talks focused on the state of bilateral cooperation and the measures taken on migration management and border security, in the context of Romania’s efforts to finalize the Schengen file.

The Romanian Internal Affairs minister further emphasized that Romania is at an extremely important moment in terms of the second stage of its accession to the Schengen Area – the elimination of internal land border controls. „Measures are being successfully implemented at all Romania’s borders, there is very good cooperation with all neighboring states, and the figures for illegal migration at national borders are close to zero,” reads the release.

„Romania has demonstrated that it secures European borders at a high level, applies all Schengen rules and legislation, uses all European systems, issues Schengen visas, has not experienced any setbacks since air and sea border controls were lifted. With Romania inside the Schengen Area, as a full member, the European project is much stronger and more stable. We have an extraordinary expertise in home affairs and in ensuring security, public order and border security, which must be used to support the strengthening of the security of the European area of freedom, security and justice,” MAI added.

The Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Bucharest, Willemijn van Haaften, expressed her appreciation for the sustained efforts of the Romanian authorities to fulfill this important national objective and for the efforts to maintain a climate of security for European citizens. She emphasized the importance of bilateral police cooperation between the two countries, which is at a high level, and mentioned that she will convey at The Hague all the clarifications and nuances put forward by the Internal Affairs minister, including the readiness to continue discussions with the Dutch Government in the new formation sworn in after the elections, as well as with the Dutch Parliament, if deemed necessary.

In the end, the two sides agreed to continue the dialogue on the same positive note in order to develop cooperation in areas of common interest.

„MAI has fulfilled all the technical and diplomatic objectives to date in order to continue Schengen accession with the land border. Of course, MAI will continue around the clock the diplomatic demarches in this regard and all measures to keep illegal migration at the insignificant rates to which it has been brought through the integrated efforts of the Border Police, the Romanian Police and other agencies within and outside MAI, as well as all measures for the implementation of the Dublin Agreements, the New Pact on Migration and Asylum and the JHA Council Decision of December 2023 (Air Schengen). We are aware that the decision will be a political one at European level, but no European political decision can disregard the fact that Romania can strengthen the Schengen Area, the fact that we have been fulfilling all the technical criteria for years, and our legal and moral right to be part of the Schengen Area with all its borders,” said Catalin Predoiu, quoted in the press release.

AGERPRES