IntMin, Dutch ambassador discuss Romania's Schengen preparations

  The preparation measures taken at national level in the context of the elimination of air and sea controls with Schengen states at the end of March were one of the topics of discussion between Interior Minister Catalin Predoiu and Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Bucharest Willemijn van Haaften."On the subject of Romania's accession to the Schengen area, Minister Predoiu mentioned the preparatory measures taken at national level in the context of the elimination of air and sea controls, starting at the end of March. These are of a legislative, institutional, procedural, technical, logistical and public communication nature and are aimed at adapting to the new operational and legislative realities," a press release the Ministry of the Interior (MAI) sent on Tuesday reads.The Dutch diplomat congratulated the Romanian side for the positive results achieved in the advancement of the Schengen accession file, which is proof of the sustained efforts made over the past years, and assured the Romanian side of the support that the Netherlands will continue to give to Romania for the extension of the Schengen acquis on land borders, the source said.The Romanian minister thanked for this position and stressed that Romania is a state that combats illegal migration, meets the Schengen criteria and applies the Dublin agreements in an exemplary manner among the member states of the European Union and that the extension of the Schengen community acquis to land borders is an irreversible process that must be completed as soon as possible, both from a national perspective and from the perspective of European integration, the source added.Catalin Predoiu also underlined the Romanian side's interest in intensifying police cooperation to fight organised crime, drug trafficking and human trafficking, and cross-border crime in general.During the discussions, Predoiu evoked the similar visions of the two Interior ministries, Romanian and Dutch, on issues of interest at European level, such as internal security and the development of the capacity of states to respond effectively to challenges such as pandemics, climate change."In the home affairs area, the cooperation relationship between the two Interior ministries is very good, especially in the areas of police cooperation, emergencies and the fight against corruption, and there are the necessary conditions for its development. The Interior minister also pointed to the importance that the Interior Ministry attaches to the fight against and prevention of human trafficking and drug trafficking, topics that are on the list of the Ministry's priorities," the press release also reads.Willemijn van Haaften reiterated the main objectives of her mandate and the importance she attaches to the development of the cooperation relationship in the area of home affairs."The Dutch side is interested in developing cooperation between law enforcement agencies with competence in the fight against organised crime, as the two sides have a very good cooperation both bilaterally and in the framework of existing working formats at European level," the source said.