Dutch opposition is not the only one that Romania has to overcome in order to join the Schengen area. The Justice Committee of the Swedish Parliament voted against our country. The signal is strong, but the chances are not completely lost.

If until now Sweden has not given any message to convey that it opposes Romania’s accession to Schengen, on Thursday in the Parliament’s justice committee in Stockholm it voted against the proposal of the government led by Ulf Kristersson to support our country’s approach alongside Bulgaria and Croatia.

How the vote in the Swedish Parliament took place and why it is important

Sweden’s government, which includes center-right parties affiliated with the EPP and Renew Europe, which support Romania’s accession to Schengen, is in the minority. In the Justice Committee, the Social Democrats, who are now in the opposition and oppose our country’s approach, have joined forces with the extreme party of the Sweden Democrats. The latter, even if they are not in the government, supported the government in the parliament, and without them the executive power would have collapsed.

“We believe that when it comes to expanding Schengen, we should start with our need to control entry and exit and make sure we have all the necessary tools to fight crime,” said social democrat Ardalan Shekarabi, who was quoted as saying Dagens newspaper. Nyheter, saying that he was surprised that the government made such a proposal without consulting them and the Sweden Democrats.

“As far as Bulgaria and Romania are concerned, Sweden faces big problems with citizens of these countries abusing the current mobility directive and questioning public order in Sweden,” said one of the far-right representatives of the Sweden Democrats, Adam Marttinen.

Why is voting in the Swedish Parliament important? Because this is a mandatory mandate of the Government.

But it is important to say that Romania still has a chance. The vote, which will become binding, is not Thursday’s vote in the Judiciary Committee. The final word will rest with the European Affairs Commission, which will meet for a vote in December, just before the JAI Council, where it will be decided whether Romania will be admitted to Schengen.

If by then there is a repositioning, in the sense that the social democrats who are associated with PES will return to the European family line, then everything will change for Romania.

“Eurosceptics are against it, that’s why the Social Democrats are resolute at the moment. Now they were against it, but if they change their position, the government will receive a mandate that will be favorable for Romania,” official European sources explained to HotNews.ro.

Previous Netherlands

In October, the Dutch parliament passed a resolution expressing its reservations about Romania’s accession to Schengen, citing the MCV.

The political situation in the Netherlands is similar to the situation in Sweden.

Mark Rutte’s government has an extremely fragile majority in the parliament in The Hague. After the March 2021 election, Rutte had the longest negotiations to inaugurate his fourth government, with the installation taking place 299 days after the January 2022 election.

“Mark Rutte is not a strong prime minister, and before the vote in the Council he should vote in the parliament,” said a Romanian official familiar with the progress of the negotiations.

“The essence of the problem is the atmosphere in the Netherlands, the problem with migrants. The government is fragile, it is tolerated in the parliament by the extreme right, Eurosceptics. And now the refugee camps in the Netherlands are overcrowded. They are full of migrants from outside the EU, not from Romania, but because of that there is fear and tension. That is why Rutte is so attentive to public opinion and remains a difficult partner in this context,” the Romanian official added.

• The match between Romania and the Netherlands is currently being played on the Schengen field. What is actually hidden behind the official statements and caution of Prime Minister Rutte

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