European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson announced in Brussels on Thursday that Romania and Bulgaria have not yet been admitted to the Schengen Area.The Commissioner for Home Affairs congratulated Croatia and the Croatian citizens on their accession and said that Bulgaria and Romania also deserve to join the Schengen area, but have failed to obtain the unanimous support needed to join the area of free movement of people and goods.I want to address the Romanian and Bulgarian citizens as well. You deserve to be fully part of Schengen. You deserve to have access to the free movement area. You had strong support from almost all member states, from the Czech Presidency, from the Commission, Johansson said at a joint press briefing with Czech Interior Minister Vit Rakusan.I would be lying to you if I did not say that I am also disappointed and I think I share this disappointment with the citizens of Romania and Bulgaria. It is the role of the Commission to be optimistic and to make the next steps. We will continue to do so and I am convinced that we will achieve the accession of Romania and Bulgaria during this mandate and that will be my priority, the European Commissioner for Home Affairs assured.Asked by Romanian journalists if the issue of Romania's and Bulgaria's accession to Schengen could eventually reach the agenda of the European Council next week, she said she would be surprised if this happened, but added that she supports any action for the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to Schengen.
Romanian prime minister Ilie Bolojan stated during an interview on Wednesday, December 17, that there should be no statute of limitations in cases of serious corruption. The statement comes after a Recorder investigation, which showed that several heads of the major institutions in the Romanian justice system allegedly delayed trials for years until wrongdoings were […]
President Nicușor Dan has challenged, before the Constitutional Court (CCR), the constitutionality of the law that requires that at least 40% of the athletes who play on a team in official national competitions be Romanian. Dan noted that the law violates the principle of non-discrimination and the free movement of workers, enshrined both in the […]
Craiova International Airport will open its new passenger terminal on Thursday, December 18, completing a major infrastructure investment aimed at significantly expanding capacity and improving air connectivity in southwestern Romania. It is part of a broader expansion and modernization project financed through the Large Infrastructure Operational Programme (POIM) 2014–2020, with a total value exceeding EUR […]
Romania is set to be connected to the Western European energy network thanks to grid investments worth EUR 30 billion. The funds will be provided by the EU by 2035, and the project will link Romania to Hungary and Austria in a joint project. Romanian energy minister Bogdan Ivan signaled the signing of the new […]
Franck Bagouet has been appointed managing director of TotalEnergies Marketing Romania SA and managing director of Automotive Southeast Europe Hub TotalEnergies Marketing. He succeeds Didier Grimault, who has accepted a new position within the TotalEnergies company. “I am glad to join this dynamic affiliate and confident that, together with our talented team, we will reinforce […]
Databricks, the data analytics and artificial intelligence company co-founded by Romanian professors Ion Stoica and Matei Zaharia, announced on Tuesday, December 16, that it is raising USD 4 billion in funding at a valuation of USD 134 billion, according to CNBC. The new valuation represents a 34% increase compared to the August round, when Databricks […]
