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ForMin Odobescu on Schengen file: On-going dialogue with Austrian side, also carried out by our EU partners
Romania is discussing with Austria on the subject of its accession to the Schengen Area, and this dialogue is also carried out by our country's European Union partners, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Luminita Odobescu, declared on Monday.
"There are contacts with the Austrian side at all levels and this dialogue with the Austrian side is carried out not only by us, but also by our partners from the European Union. We have the support of several states. You have seen that the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen Area on the agenda of the discussions of several European leaders, we are also discussing with the Spanish presidency of the Council of the European Union", said the Romanian top diplomat, appreciating that "at the moment it is important to continue this dialogue with the Austrian side and as we move forward, the conditions will be met, we can see exactly what the final approach will be." In this sense, the minister emphasized, "a political decision is obviously needed".
Luminita Odobescu also spoke about the fact that some member states of the Schengen Area have strengthened border controls.
"Against the background of security risks, including at the European level - and we all saw what happened recently in Brussels, when two Swedish supporters lost their lives in a terrorist attack - temporary border controls between the various member states were introduced. It is a temporary measure, generated by the security risks. Moreover, several European states have raised security alerts, and for our part, we signaled to our citizens who travel to be very attentive to the security alerts in the respective countries," the minister pointed out.
In this context, "the discussion about Romania's accession to the Schengen Area remains a priority on the agenda". This topic is announced on the agenda of the European Council in December.
"We continue the diplomatic efforts, it is too early to tell you exactly what we will do in December, but we continue to dialogue with all the partners involved in this effort, with the support of the European Commission, we also try to coordinate closely with the Bulgarian side, so it's a constant diplomatic effort and we'll see, depending on the situation at that moment, what the final decision will be," said Luminita Odobescu.