Hunor Kelemen expects Romania to join the Schengen area with its land and water borders from January 1, 2023.Continue reading
Construction and Investment Minister János Lázár. File Photo.
For the common benefit of both the Romanian and the Hungarian nations, there are significant reserves between Hungary and Romania in economic and infrastructure cooperation, and our plan is to exploit these reserves, said Construction and Investment Minister János Lázár in Bucharest, after holding bilateral talks with members of the Romanian government.
The minister also met with Hunor Kelemen, President of the Hungarian Democratic Alliance of Romania (RMDSZ) and Deputy Prime Minister of Romania, Attila Cseke, Romanian Development Minister, and Sorin Grindeanu, Romanian Transport Minister and Deputy Prime Minister.
Following the talks, the Minister said that the purpose of his visit was to meet with professional partners in Romania on behalf of Prime Minister Viktor Orban. He pointed out that they wanted to connect the motorway networks as part of the cooperation. He said that Hungary will continue the construction of the M49 motorway towards the Romanian-Hungarian border in 2023. He added that Romania has significant development opportunities, as the state budget, the European reconstruction and cohesion funds create the conditions for Romania to start major infrastructure development. Bucharest will spend 30 percent of the total funds on transport development, so there will also be major motorway upgrades towards Transylvania, which is “encouraging and reassuring”, he said.
Lázár said that
Romania is expected to undergo major changes, as Bucharest wants to catch up with the European average in terms of transport network development in the next 5-10 years, and this is in Hungary’s interest both economically and in terms of national strategy.
He said that it is also necessary to open as many border crossings as possible between the two countries, as the conditions for economic cooperation along the border need to be created, even if Romania’s accession to Schengen is currently on the agenda, which Hungary supports.
“Politics or not, Romania and Hungary are very serious trade and economic partners. Hungary’s foreign trade plus is almost €3 billion, so we have a strong interest in making transport easier, faster and safer at the major European gateways in the border region,” said János Lázár.
The minister also mentioned that investments are underway in Transylvania, financed by the Hungarian government. He said that since 2010 the Hungarian government has sent 400 billion forints to Transylvania to support Hungarians in Romania.
Featured Image: MTI/Rosta Tibor