MEP Nicu Stefanuta: The lack of a decision on Schengen accession in the JHA Council postpones us for 6 months, if not a year

The Romanian MEP Nicu Stefanuta, the only Romanian deputy affiliated to the group of the Greens in the European Parliament, says that the lack of a positive decision regarding Romania's accession to the Schengen area in the Justice and Home Affairs Council (JHA) of 4-5 December postpones this moment by ' over six months, if not a year'.   Governmental sources in Bucharest have announced last week that in the JHA Council on 4-5 December there will be no vote regarding Romania's and Bulgaria's accession to the Schengen area, although the possibility of such a vote was estimated in the meeting's provisional agenda.   The quoted sources said that there are discussions regarding the organisation of an extraordinary JHA Council towards the end of December, where the accession of Romania to Schengen might be analysed, accession in two steps, the first being with the accession of air borders in the Europeon space of free circulation starting with March 2024.    In the meantime,a public document of the Council  published on Friday refering to the reunion dedicated to the home affairs on Tuesday does not mention a possible vote for ' the Council decision refering to the full implementation of the Schengen acquis in Romania and Bulgaria' but only a discussion about the state of play of the file.   The MEP Nicu Stefanuta stated on Saturday that, the lack of a decision of the JHA Council of December is very unlikely to happen before the European  elections of 2024.   But he explained that everything depends on the international context as well. ' We already have two serious wars close to us, we see that  borders become more and more numerous inside the Schengen area, although, I don't know if to mention 2025, but I think this is what is going to happen, in the context where everything is ok' he added.   At the same time, Nicu Stefanuta says he does not believe in the organisation of an extraordinary JHA council at the end of the month as there is no time enough for things to evolve in the right direction.   He also added that through the announcement of the government regarding the discussions referring to the organisation of an extraordinary JHA council, they want, in a way to ' keep the Romanians' hope so they are not totally disappointed' and he complained that during the whole  autumn there was no effort concentrated to make progress for unlocking the Schengen file, but only ' some pale attempts'.   At the same time, Nicu Stefanuta considers that the result of the vote in the Netherlands, where the far-right Freedom Party of Geert Wilders obtained the largest number of seats in the legislature, sent a clear signal that will not be ignored by the provisional government of Mark Rutte.   ' The vote given by the population kind of indicates a fatigue regarding migration, doesn't it? In fact, the topic of migration was very important in the Netherlands during the debates. Even if we are talking about free movement, and not migration, in people's heads the difference is not made very clear (...)Romanians are sometimes considered as migrants unfortunately, not European workers or European citizens, because that is the signal they receive from the EU. And then, in the eyes of the citizens who voted in the Netherlands the issue of migration is one and the same (with that of free movement - o.n) said the MEP.   Under these conditions, Stefanuta says that he doubts that Mark Rutte, the premier in action would give a positive vote ' in his own name' for the extension of the Schengen area as it would mean that he would say to the almost 30% of the Dutch who voted with Geert Wilders' party that they did not count.