The decision of the Justice and Home Affairs Council regarding the accession of Romania with land borders to the Schengen Area is a success for Romania and Romanians, of decision-makers at all levels of the state, and is very good for the economy, our country has long deserved this position, Energy Minister Sebastian Burduja said on his Facebook page on Thursday.

“I welcome the decision of the JHA Council regarding Romania’s accession to the Schengen Area with land borders, but I firmly say that our country has long deserved this position. It is enough to go back years to see the positions of the European Commission in this regard. The fact that some have decided to block what is a European project for reasons of internal policy is incomprehensible – it is one of the causes that fuels populism and extremism at the European level”, the minister noted, according to Agerpres.

According to him, more solidarity is needed between EU member states, because only in this way will the feeling of belonging to a common project be strengthened at the level of European societies.

“And I have been saying these things lately. It is not just about Schengen, it is also about the situation of interconnections, as another example. Their lack generates important problems with prices in the Eastern European Union states, as is Romania, although we have respected all our commitments regarding the development of these interconnections, with all neighboring countries. Today’s decision is a success for Romania and the Romanians, for the decision-makers at all levels of the Romanian state, and it is very good for the economy. Gaining time means gaining economic development. I congratulate those who, in recent weeks, have been visibly involved in a very complex diplomatic process, meant to avoid other unpleasant surprises. We saw that, even in the last hour, ‘leaders’ from other countries wanted to hinder us. Because the goal of these people is to destroy trust in the European project. We must not let them! Romania must be strong, in the EU and in NATO”, the head of Energy also wrote.

Interior ministers from EU countries, meeting in the Justice and Home Affairs Council, decided to lift controls on persons at internal land borders with and between Bulgaria and Romania starting January 1, 2025, the Council of the European Union announced.