Romania ready to join Euro passport free zone

˝Romania is ready to join Schengen area,˝ Blaga said, presenting his ministry´s activity report for 2009.

BUCHAREST, March 4, 2010 (AFP) - Romania's Interior Minister Vasile Blaga said Thursday the country is ready to join Europe's passport-free Schengen zone, which it hopes to enter in 12 months.

"Romania is ready to join Schengen area. The evaluation report regarding the maritime border shows that some of the measures adopted by Romania are considered good practices", Blaga said, presenting his ministry's activity report for 2009.

One Schengen mission evaluated Romania's maritime borders in September 2009. Four other missions last year analysed police cooperation, personal data security, visas and air borders.

"Four reports have been issued and the conclusions are positive, with no need for re-evaluation", Blaga said. Two more missions are expected this year.

According to Blaga, the main "vulnerabilities" concerns infrastructure, and "serious efforts" are needed from the government to improve it.

Prime minister Emil Boc said Wednesday that he wanted to hold a government meeting at the Schengen border on March 27, 2011, to mark Romania's entry to into the passport free zone.

Romania was alloted some 480 million euros of EU funds between 2007 and 2010 to prepare the changes. The Schengen area now has 25 European countries where travellers can go without automatically showing their passports.