State secretary: Hungary supports full Schengen membership of Romania, Bulgaria

Hungary supports the accession of Romania and Bulgaria as fully-fledged members in the EU’s Schengen border regime, Barna Pál Zsigmond, state secretary at Hungary’s European affairs ministry, told a panel discussion in Tirgu Mures (Marosvásárhely) on Friday.

The two countries’ joining Schengen is a key national and European interest, Zsigmond said, adding that Romania and Bulgaria had met all preconditions. He said that “some EU member states’ playing fast and loose” with the two countries indicated the use of double standards within the community.

Zsigmond said Romania had completed its road infrastructure development near the Hungarian border and the country’s full integration could “open a new dimension” in railway infrastructure developments.

Romania’s fully-fledged Schengen membership would also be crucial for relations between Hungary and the Hungarian minority in Romania, he added.

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