Joining Schengen space and participation in EEAS, priorities of governing programme

The Romanian diplomacy will have to prepare institutionally for the participation in the European External Action Service of the European Union, stipulated in the Treaty of Lisbon, to consolidate its influence on European institutions and to ensure this country's joining the Schengen space in 2011, these are the foreign policy priorities included in the governing programme of the new Executive.

The establishment of a European External Action Service (EEAS) is something quite new brought by the Treaty of Lisbon. The EEAS will support the activity of the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and will cooperate closely with the diplomatic services of the member states. The service will be made up of officials and employees of the outstanding departments of the European Commission and of the General Secretariat of the Council as well as of diplomats of the member states.

Another guideline included in the governing programme refers to coherent diplomatic actions meant to help leave behind the stage of post-accession monitoring.

They also aim at consolidating the dialogue at European level and the domestic expertise in preparing the 2013-2020 financial prospect so that Romania's interest should be properly represented.

According to the document mentioned before, it devolves on the foreign policy to promote Romania's economic, tourist and cultural aims as part of the EU Danube Strategy and to identify opportunities for the development of the Carpathians region and Romania's active involvement in partnerships with a view to implementing them.

Other aims refer to ensuring a nondiscriminatory treatment for the Romanian workers in the EU space (the free movement of labour force), to the domestic institutional preparation up to European standards for ensuring Romania's joining the Schengen space in keeping with the calendar that was established, in 2011, to the 'energetic resumption' of the preparations for joining the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in order to make it easier for Romania to possibly take part in new decision-making global formats.

Agerpres