Hungary will prioritize Romania’s desire to join the European Union’s passport-free Schengen Area during its six-month EU presidency, the country’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Péter Szijjártó has said.
Speaking in Budapest on Tuesday, Szijjártó spoke of the great economic and cultural benefits both Hungary and Romania would enjoy with the introduction of the latter into Europe’s free travel area.
“We have only to gain from Romania’s Schengen membership, which is why we are doing everything possible to ensure that Romania can join the area during Hungary’s European Union presidency,” he said.
Not only would the move help businesses on both sides of the border — Szijjártó noted that Romania is a key export market for Hungary — but it would assist with frictionless trade across the border, quicker waiting times at crossings, and be a significant step in making minority Hungarian communities living in Romania feel closer to home.
“We really hope that the Western European countries won’t be hypocritical, and all those who have been voicing their support for this will actually support it,” Szijjarto said. “And we sincerely hope that those who vetoed Romania’s accession to the Schengen Area last time won’t get in the way of European consensus and a joint European position this time.”
Despite the desire in Budapest for fewer border controls with Hungary’s southeastern neighbor, Szijjártó insisted that Hungary would continue to play its part in combating illegal immigration into Europe and cracking down on organized criminal gangs profiting from it.
Hungary and Romania recently signed an agreement to boost their cross-border law enforcement cooperation, and Szijjártó expressed his confidence in Bucharest’s ability to protect the rest of Europe from mass illegal immigration.
Should Romania join Schengen, the European Union’s passport-free external border would extend considerably toward the Black Sea, potentially piling pressure on the border between Romania and its southern neighbor Bulgaria, which could become the new entry point into borderless Europe.
Romania and Hungary have remained committed to improving economic ties and transport links in recent times, including with the introduction of a high-speed rail network from Budapest to Bucharest, which is currently being discussed at the parliamentary level.
