While the partial accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen Zone via air and sea has brought cheers, Romanian road Haulers are still stuck at the border. The National Union of Road Halliers from Romania (UNTRR) is urging authorities to set a clear date for land border access in 2024, highlighting the crippling €2.41 billion losses the industry suffers due to exclusion.
UNTRR Secretary-General Radu Dinescu paints a stark picture. “The Schengen accession through land is an emergency for road freight carriers,” he declares. Grueling delays at borders cripple efficiency, adding unnecessary costs and headaches. Coach operators, too, seek relief from the looming burden of new administrative tasks associated with the European Entry/Exit System and the European Travel Information and Authorization System.
Dinescu stresses the urgency of a concrete roadmap. “We need a definite date for Romania’s land entry,” he demands. If special requirements exist, they should be transparent, offering a clear target and timeline for achieving full access. He further emphasizes that any additional criteria imposed by EU states must not exceed the established framework and technical requirements for admission.
Dinescu’s frustration boils over as he criticizes the delay’s political undertones. “Romania met all the technical conditions for Schengen in 2011,” he points out. “Air border expansion could have happened much sooner, as passenger data is readily available.” He accuses EU members of using the delay as a political weapon, stifling Romania’s economic potential.
While Austria’s initial opposition remains a hurdle, there’s a glimmer of hope. Discussions on land border access are scheduled this year, and Vienna’s “Air Schengen” proposal offers a partial solution. But for Romanian road Haulers, time is money, and they desperately need a clear path towards unrestricted movement within the Schengen Zone.
