Ooni Koda
  1. Home
  2. /
  3. Newsfeed
  4. /
  5. ForMin Odobescu on Schengen file: On-going dialogue with...

ForMin Odobescu on Schengen file: On-going dialogue with Austrian side, also carried out by our EU partners

November 22, 2023

Romania is discussing with Austria on the subject of its accession to the Schengen Area, and this dialogue is also carried out by our country's European Union partners, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Luminita Odobescu, declared on Monday."There are contacts with the Austrian side at all levels and this dialogue with the Austrian side is carried out not only by us, but also by our partners from the European Union. We have the support of several states. You have seen that the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen Area on the agenda of the discussions of several European leaders, we are also discussing with the Spanish presidency of the Council of the European Union", said the Romanian top diplomat, appreciating that "at the moment it is important to continue this dialogue with the Austrian side and as we move forward, the conditions will be met, we can see exactly what the final approach will be." In this sense, the minister emphasized, "a political decision is obviously needed".Luminita Odobescu also spoke about the fact that some member states of the Schengen Area have strengthened border controls."Against the background of security risks, including at the European level - and we all saw what happened recently in Brussels, when two Swedish supporters lost their lives in a terrorist attack - temporary border controls between the various member states were introduced. It is a temporary measure, generated by the security risks. Moreover, several European states have raised security alerts, and for our part, we signaled to our citizens who travel to be very attentive to the security alerts in the respective countries," the minister pointed out.In this context, "the discussion about Romania's accession to the Schengen Area remains a priority on the agenda". This topic is announced on the agenda of the European Council in December."We continue the diplomatic efforts, it is too early to tell you exactly what we will do in December, but we continue to dialogue with all the partners involved in this effort, with the support of the European Commission, we also try to coordinate closely with the Bulgarian side, so it's a constant diplomatic effort and we'll see, depending on the situation at that moment, what the final decision will be," said Luminita Odobescu.

Read in full - click here
Romanian film review – Politics, Genre, Classics, Surprises: Berlinale 2025 & Visuali Italiane

The 2025 edition of the year’s first major film fest in Europe (and one of the biggest worldwide), the Berlin International Film Festival, took place between 13 and 23 February. My notes come with a bit of delay, as I was also hit by the festival flu that got so many of us sniffling and […]

RoEM Analysis: Romania’s GDP to advance by only 1.5% in 2025, with uncertainties stemming from domestic and regional economic and political risks

In the absence of current negative influences, Romania’s economy could have an annual growth potential of 3-4%. Political instability and global geopolitical risks are dampening growth. Economic growth in 2024 was driven by wage increases and accelerating consumption, satisfied however largely through imports. Due to a decline in domestic economic competitiveness, net exports contributed negatively […]

Bucharest Stock Exchange launches financial education section on Research Hub platform

The Bucharest Stock Exchange (BVB) announced on Thursday, March 13, the launch of a new financial education section on the BVB Research Hub platform, dedicated to retail investors. The capital market operator said that it started this project out of the need to increase the level of financial education and promote the investment culture. It […]

Romanian governing coalition's presidential candidate to launch a podcast and invite critics

The Romanian governing coalition's presidential candidate, Crin Antonescu, announced on Thursday, March 13, that he is launching a podcast designed to popularize his candidacy before the May elections. Antonescu, who is backed by the alliance made up of the Liberals (PNL), Social Democrats (PSD), the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians (UDMR), and the minorities, stated that he will […]

Civic Digital Incubator trains teachers in Romania on online rights, responsibilities

Some 4,500 teachers will learn about rights and responsibilities online, accessibility, inclusion, online well-being, and ethics as part of Incubatorul Civic Digital (ICD - The Civic Digital Incubator), a digital citizenship and democratic culture project implemented by Institutul Intercultural Timișoara, Asociația TechSoup and Școala de Valori. The project, which offers free training, is aimed at […]

Artificial Intelligence and GDPR: How is personal data protection ensured in the era of algorithms?

Mihaela Murariu, Attorney at Law at Grecu Partners Business Law Firm, analyzes the impact of Artificial Intelligence on personal data protection. Artificial intelligence (AI) has become a ubiquitous technology, used in more and more fields, from marketing and healthcare to recruitment and financial services. However, the widespread use of AI raises numerous questions about privacy […]