AGERPRES special correspondent to Brussels, Belgium, Florin Stefan reports:

Romanian MEPs in the largest political groups in the European Parliament still believe, to varying degrees, in Romania’s chance of joining the Schengen area in the second half of the current year – when the presidency of the EU Council will be held by Spain – but they see differently the path to follow for that to happen, adopting positions from „there is no strategy” to support the approach to „let the officials work in peace.”

As far as he is concerned, MEP Siegfried Muresan of the EPP group believes that there is no need to speculate on this file at the moment.

” (…) We can see that not even the frenzy that seized us at the end of last year, before the Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) Council meeting on December 8-9, necessarily helped the decision-making process. What is important is for Romania and Austria to work together at the diplomatic level, at official levels. A pilot project is currently being carried out at the external border of Romania, which will lead to an even better control, to an even better record of the persons, of the goods that enter and leave Romania,” said Muresan in Strasbourg at a news briefing with Romanian journalists.

He still insists on giving assurances that Romania was never the source of immigration to Austria, as accused by the Austrian interior minister on the day he opposed the accession of Romania and Bulgaria.

„Those people did not come from Romania; they had not passed through Romania in significant numbers. It is clear that Austria needs a solution to its migration problem. Once again, we are not the cause, but we are willing to participate in whatever way we can. As such, I think we have to let the offiicals work undisturbedly and we will see if in the coming months there will be a political constellation favorable to putting the subject back on the agenda,” added Muresan.

Asked to comment on statements by Dacian Ciolos that there is no strategy supporting Romania’s accession to the Schengen area, Muresan said that „Mr Ciolos is part of a party that is in the opposition; as such it is natural to criticise the powers that be both when he has arguments, as well as when he does not have arguments.”

Asked if such strategy exists, he cited, among his arguments, Gerhard Karner’s visit to Bucharest.

„Austria’s minister of the interior went to Bucharest; there are official contacts, at the level of ministers, ministries, at the political, diplomatic level, between Romania and the only EU member state that so far has not given its consent, Austria. Let’s leave the people to work and I hope that we can have the subject reinstated and a positive decision as soon as possible.”

Regarding Romania’s prospects for accession to the Schengen area, he says that „the Spanish presidency is a more realistic term than the presidency before it, but also a more realistic term than the presidency after that, because next year is a year with several rounds of elections in Europe, including to the European Parliament.”

„As such, the second part of this year would be a favourable moment,” concluded Muresan. AGERPRES