European Commissioner-designate for internal affairs and migration, Magnus Brunner, on Tuesday evening expressed his hope that Romania and Bulgaria will fully enter Schengen Area, as decision belongs to member states [of the Justice and Home Affairs Council - editor's note]."Of course that the member states are to decide who enter Schengen and who doesn't. There has been made extraordinary progress, if I may say so, in the cases of Romania and Bulgaria, and they are already in the Schengen Area, although just partially. However, as I've found out this morning, Austria is maintaining a very good dialogue with Romania and Bulgaria. Discussions continue and I am positive, or at least this is my approach, that this dialogue will bring a full integration of Romania and Bulgaria as soon as possible. Of course that there is much talk in my country on this topic too, but this is my opinion. And I am glad that discussions were increasingly frequent between the foreign affairs ministers and the presidents," the Austrian Commissioner said at his hearing in the European Parliament's Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE).He answered thus to a question addressed to him by a Bulgarian MEP related to the decisions taken in the recent month by several Schengen states to reintroduce border control."A better management of migration means a balanced and determined approach, which means that we decide who comes in Europe and under what circumstances, and not the so called guides," underscored Brunner. He mentioned that a priority would be to apply the European Pact on Migration and Asylum, which is scheduled to come into force in 2026, with the EU member states to play an important role in its adoption.According to the Commissioner, some of this Pact's elements are to be implemented even before 2026, while observing the balance between "responsibility and solidarity."The Austrian politician announced that, if he would be validated as Commissioner, in the first half of next year he will draft a new European Internal Security Strategy, with the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation Europol, which needs to be consolidated, to play an essential part in it.Another topic he tackled was that related to the external border, as Magnus Brunner underscored the need for strengthening the European Border and Coast Guard Agency Frontex, and informed the EU Executive that he is going to propose tripling the number of Frontex employees, up to 30,000.
Romania’s government has assumed responsibility in Parliament for legislation reforming magistrates’ pensions, prime minister Ilie Bolojan announced on December 2. He said the draft law had received the opinion of the High Court of Cassation and Justice, noting that the court’s assessment was negative. It is the government’s second attempt to have the bill promulgated, […]
Romania Education Alliance (REA), the first private school network in the country, announced it has exceeded the milestone of 1,000 students enrolled across its member schools just one year after launch. "The fact that we surpassed 1,000 students in our very first year of activity shows that the REA model addresses a real need in […]
Genesis College, one of the largest private educational institutions in Romania, announced the regulatory approval of the transaction through which the investment firm Mozaik Investments becomes its majority shareholder. The transaction, signed at the end of July, received all necessary approvals from the Competition Council on November 25, and, formally, the entire investment procedure is […]
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is lending up to EUR 29.9 million to the Romanian city of Brasov to finance energy efficiency upgrades in public buildings, initiating the city’s participation in the Bank’s flagship EBRD Green Cities programme. The Bank’s investment will fund the renovation of up to 20 public buildings, including […]
This festive season, JW Marriott Bucharest Grand Hotel invites guests to embrace the extraordinary and transform each moment into a lasting memory. On New Year’s Eve, the hotel unveils The Grand Countdown — a luminous celebration of new beginnings, thoughtfully crafted across four distinctive venues, each with its own character and atmosphere. The night begins […]
The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of sole control over ArcelorMittal Tubular Products Iași (AMTP Iași) by Metinvest B.V. of the Netherlands, part of the Ukrainian steel and mining group owned by Rinat Akhmetov, New Voice of Ukraine reported last week. Metinvest has...
