​The second Schengen evaluation report in the case of Romania, a mission in which the Netherlands also participated this time, reveals that our country still meets all the necessary conditions for the full application of the Schengen acquis.

The assessment mission took place on November 17 under the coordination of the European Commission with the support of EU Council experts and national experts from the Czech Republic, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden and included special components on visa policy and data protection.

• View the assessment mission report here

The mission took place in Bucharest and Istanbul and included special components on visa policy and data protection.

• Romania’s real chances to join Schengen: the latest negotiations with the Netherlands, Sweden and Austria and the main stake at the moment

The main conclusions:

• Romania is properly implementing the visa acquis.
• The IT infrastructure is exemplary.
• The Romanian national IT system is well structured and the work process follows the logic established by the Visa Code.
• The team of experts confirmed that the national information system of Romania (for visa management) contains the necessary fields for data registration in the Central Visa Information System.
• Romania adheres to the provisions of the Visa Code regarding the time of visa issuance.
• The consulate reviews applications carefully and decisions are well-reasoned, with decision-makers well versed in migration risks and trends. Information is provided to the public in a structured form.
• The website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania (and in particular the “eVisa” application portal) provides structured information necessary for the visa process and demonstrates that Romania already applies the main parts of the visa acquis.
• In the case of Romania, these functions are already included in the IT system, even in the table of travel documents, as well as in the list of EU sanctions.
• Romania systematically checks the requirements related to the validity/characteristics of travel documents and the consulates are properly equipped.
• Employees are properly trained and have access to the relevant EU legislation and national instructions on a special platform.
• The Romanian authorities said they are now recruiting 120 additional consular staff, including visa officers, to strengthen the work of the Visa Center in the capital and to travel around the world to strengthen the processing of short- and long-term visas, which was assessed by a team of experts.
• The National Visa Center applies the same data protection rules for the national visa system that Schengen countries apply to the Visa Information System/VIS. The same applies to the information that the National Visa Center provides on the website regarding data processing and the rights of data subjects related to the national visa system.
• Romania has an integrated approach to consular services offered to Romanian citizens and foreign nationals, with a strong interest in interoperability and ease of access, including visa services.