Portugal strongly backs Romania’s entry into the visa-free Schengen Area, President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa told a joint press conference with his Romanian counterpart, President Klaus Iohannis on Tuesday, according to Euractiv.
Romania, along with Bulgaria, was denied entry into the Schengen club by Austria and the Netherlands on 8 December, despite the European Commission recommending accession.
“Portugal has been, is and will always be at Romania’s side regarding the issue of Romania’s access to the Schengen area,” Rebelo de Sousa said at the joint press conference after he visited Portuguese soldiers at the Caracal military base.
“This is a position that is not only national. It is a European position of Portugal,” he added.
“It is important for the European Union to review the position taken recently as soon as possible, allowing Romania’s entry, as indeed Bulgaria’s, but here specifically Romania’s, into the Schengen area,” he added.
“European solidarity cannot be a partial or unilateral solidarity, it has to be global, and global solidarity means, in issues as important as these, at a time as serious as this, avoiding additional problems to the problems we all already have in Europe and in the world,” said Rebelo de Sousa.
Iohannis, for his part, said he is “100% convinced that Romania will become part of the Schengen area”, adding that this “will remain a national objective of great importance”.
While not being able to talk about a concrete date, the Romanian head of state said that authorisation for accession might be possible next year.