Did the Roma Issue Impair Romania's Accession To the Schengen Area?

Abstract

The present paper aims to discuss the situation currently developing at the Eastern frontier of the Schengen Area, in the context of Romania and Bulgaria’s accession to the free movement area. The center of attention is the issue of the Roma population with Romanian citizenship and whether it was a decisive cause or not in the Schengen accession process. We will try to follow the reaction of EU and Schengen Member States, especially the French, German, Dutch and Finnish points of view, as well as the replies and involvement of the Romanian authorities.

The approach is diachronic and the sphere of analysis begins at the moment of Romania’s accession to the European Union and extends into the present.

Keywords: frontier, Shengen Area, Romania, Bulgaria

JEL Classification: I00, I20, I21