MEPs Vlad Gheorghe, Dacian Ciolos (Romania) and Georgios Kyrtsos (Greece) and Bulgarian MP Daniel Lorer have sent a joint letter to Greek Minister of Migration and Asylum Dimitris Kairidis recommending him to propose, during the informal meeting of justice and home affairs ministers taking place on Thursday and Friday in Brussels, lifting the Schengen land border control between Romania, Bulgaria and Greece, Agerpres correspondent reports.The signatories bring to the attention of Minister Dimitris Kairidis a number of arguments why they see this appeal to be timely and why they call for controls to be lifted as soon as possible."Firstly, since 2011, the European Commission has systematically reiterated that Bulgaria and Romania are ready for full Schengen membership. Secondly, the European Parliament has issued numerous resolutions and reports calling for full Schengen membership, which have been supported by an absolute majority of the House," say the signatories of the letter.Another argument they put forward is that representatives of the Greek tourism and HORECA sectors are asking for the lifting of land border controls to facilitate the arrival of Romanian and Bulgarian tourists in Greece. This would become a very important factor of economic development, especially in the northern parts of Greece, provided that the land border becomes fully open before the summer season.Fourthly, land border controls between the three countries that are officially in the Schengen area are currently still causing huge losses to transport companies and tourists in terms of travel costs, lost financial gains and time. This is a factor that cannot be underestimated in the context of the economic crisis and unprecedented inflation.''Fifthly, lifting the border would immediately improve the environmental parameters of the areas concerned, thus contributing to the EU objective of reducing CO2 emissions, air pollution and related diseases,'' the letter shows.They also believe that the swift and decisive implementation of the proposal will enhance mutual trust among the three member states and increase the efficiency of their cooperation within the EU. ''This proposal responds to the needs of the citizens and it is our responsibility to overcome the difficulties and offer the citizens of our countries maximum benefits based on good neighbourly relations,'' they add.The main topics of the informal meeting of EU interior ministers are migration, the fight against drug trafficking, disinformation and the situation of Ukrainian citizens who arrived in the European Union because of the war launched by Russia against Ukraine on 24 February 2022.
Romania took the presidency of the Central European Initiative (or CEI) on Wednesday, November 26, according to a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE). The organization is a regional intergovernmental forum established in 1989, following the fall of the Berlin Wall. It gathers 17 Member States in Central, Eastern, and South-Eastern Europe […]
Trade between Romania and Poland continues to grow, with annual bilateral exchanges in goods now valued at more than EUR 12 billion, according to figures presented by the Polish-Romanian Bilateral Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PRBCC). The data was released during a reception in Bucharest marking Poland’s Independence Day and Romania’s National Day. Polish investments […]
As Romania moves closer to implementing the EU Pay Transparency Directive, local employers are preparing for one of the most consequential shifts in workplace regulation in over a decade. The directive, set for transposition by June 2026, introduces strict new rules on salary disclosure, pay reporting, and equal-pay verification, aiming to close persistent gender gaps […]
A young Romanian has developed a new system that allows people to return entire bags of recyclable packaging at once, replacing the traditional method of inserting bottles one by one into reverse-vending machines. The concept, called IZI, was created by Ștefan Parascanu, who returned to Romania after studying and working in the United Kingdom. The […]
JTI, the global owner of both Winston and Camel, announced on Thursday, November 27, a plan to build a new, state-of-the-art factory in Ștefăneștii de Jos, Ilfov County. Designed to replace the current Bucharest production site, which is operating under space constraints, the facility is scheduled for completion in 2027. Ground works at the new […]
The City Hall of Oradea, in northwest Romania, has begun installing new smart parking meters as part of its ongoing modernization and digitalization of the municipal parking system. The first batch of devices has already been placed in central areas, and the entire system is expected to become operational by the end of the year. […]
