Cătalin Predoiu, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Internal Affairs, had a working meeting with the Minister of the Interior of the French Republic, Mr. Bruno Retailleau, on Thursday, October 24th, 2024. The agenda of the discussions focused on the topic of finalizing the Schengen file, as well as on highly topical issues on the European and bilateral agenda – combating illegal migration and the fight against drug trafficking – the priorities in the field of Internal Affairs being agreed upon in the coming period.
The meeting is part of the series of discussions held with counterparts from EU states with which Romania has Strategic Partnerships or privileged cooperation relations, the aim being to make known the results of the measures taken by our country in terms of migration management and border security, in the context the steps aimed at the full accession of Romania to the Schengen area.
During the discussions, the Romanian dignitary mentioned that the lifting of controls at the internal land borders remains Romania’s most important objective, for which the Ministry of Internal Affairs works daily, in an integrated manner. He highlighted the measures adopted both at the national level and those agreed with the immediate neighbors and with the EU Member States, which had the effect of a decrease almost to zero, of the migratory pressure at Romania’s borders. These measures were mainly aimed at strengthening cooperation and intensifying the exchange of information with the states in the region and with European partners. At the moment, Romania has ongoing projects with all neighboring countries (e.g. Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, Ukraine) with very good results, aimed at organizing joint patrols, exchanging experience, strengthening the exchange of information and developing risk assessments. Also, cooperation with European agencies played an important role in achieving these significant results.
Minister Predoiu emphasized the fact that Romania wants to complete the file by the end of the current year and counts on the support of all allies to fulfill this important country objective. In addition, all the data indicate that the accession of Romania with land borders would represent a plus for the EU, including from the perspective of ensuring the security of the European space.
The French Minister of the Interior recognized the important results achieved by Romania in terms of border security and migration management, due to well-structured and complementary measures. He reiterated the French Republic’s support for the completion of this objective as soon as possible. France pays particular attention to the efficient management of the migration phenomenon, this subject being on the list of priorities of Mr. Retailleau and, implicitly, of the French Ministry of the Interior. The European community is facing an increase in threats to internal security, which is why states must be firmer in their decisions and use the handy working tools more effectively.
With regard to bilateral cooperation, the two sides mentioned that this is an excellent one, at the level of good practices, which is carried out in areas such as police collaboration, emergency situations, respectively those within the competence of the Gendarmerie, with the necessary premises for its development. In addition, the new realities indicate an adaptation of the criminal phenomenon, through the use of new technologies in order to commit crimes, in which sense the two sides agreed to intensify cooperation in the field of digitization.
The two dignitaries highlighted the importance of combating the scourge of drugs, which has seen an important development in recent years. Romania and France have a similar approach regarding the drug phenomenon, in addition to the combat component, special attention is paid to the prevention of drug use, especially among vulnerable categories, and the development of rehabilitation programs adapted to the needs of consumers. Dealing with the unprecedented threats of drug trafficking requires the total mobilization of the entire society, the entire administrative and law enforcement apparatus.
Regarding civil protection and emergency situations, Romania and France share common views on the importance of developing work mechanisms capable of providing quick and effective responses in the event of disasters. In addition, the cooperation between the two states at this level is very good, both bilaterally and within the working formats at the European level, the dialogue at the highest level being very active. It was agreed to continue discussions at technical level to determine the most effective way to adapt bilateral and European instruments to the new civil protection challenges.
At the end of the discussions, the two sides emphasized the importance of maintaining the bilateral cooperation at the same high standards as well as the continuation of mutual support regarding topics of interest on the European agenda.
„France maintains its support for Romania’s accession to the Schengen Area with land borders as quickly as possible. Minister Bruce Retailleau expressed, during the bilateral discussion in Paris, his appreciation for Romania’s results and maintaining the position of support from France in unequivocal terms.
I had a long, interesting and useful discussion with the French minister about combating irregular migration at the European level. We presented our vision to the French minister. Europe urgently needs a realistic and coherent policy regarding irregular migration and the effective fight against human trafficking, adapted to the present geopolitical realities and the migration challenges derived from them. The European legislative framework needs to be revisited and improved, including the returns directive. The Pact on Migration and Asylum must be implemented as quickly as possible, without delays to the scheduled date. Frontex must be strengthened. Schengen member states must be ready to intervene with all the procedures of the Schengen codes, including border controls, but only when the situation requires it. There is a lot to be done in order to protect European borders, including dialogue with third countries, and Romania is ready to contribute strongly, as a Schengen member state, with solid policies and practices in border protection, but also with diplomatic work that it is already carrying out for increasing the coherence of the member states and the Commission in protecting European borders. The discussion with the new French minister, Bruce Retailleau, an experienced politician who recently took over the portfolio of the interior, took place in a very good, friendly atmosphere, in which we found a lot of common points of view on the issues discussed. We also discussed about the strengthening of police cooperation and cooperation in the intervention in emergency situations, in which the two countries have a top experience and cooperate to improve performance. I thanked Minister Retailleau for the meeting held at the request of the Romanian side in a short period of time, for dialogue and support for Schengen. I also invited him to visit Romania, the invitation being accepted with pleasure,” said Cătălin Predoiu at the end of the meeting.
