National Schengen Information System Centre inaugurated

The National Schengen Informa­tion System (SIS) Centre was inau­gu­rated on Tuesday, in the presence of the Interior Minister, Constantin Traian Igas, the Foreign Minister, Teodor Baconschi, as well as representatives of the diplomatic corps accredited in Bucharest. The Fo­reign Minister stated he would support “in all dignity our right to be appraised based on our technical achie­vements, without any other problems influencing the decision”. Mo­ving on to a related topic, the head of the Schengen Department in the Administration and Internal Affairs Ministry, inspector Marian Tutilescu, claims that Romania will not have to return to the European Commission any share of the funds allotted to the Schengen facility, thus infirming the information to the effect that the EC had asked for the European Parliament’s approval to cut a portion of the funds allotted to Bulgaria’s and Romania’s accessi­on to the Schengen Area. “This cannot refer to the Schengen facility, as, at the moment, it is impossible to es­­timate how much of the facility has been put to use, given that the deadline for its implementation is December 31. Indeed, everything that has not been implemented by December 31 will be returned to the Commi­s­sion, but by no means earlier,” Tu­tilescu stated, quoted by Agerpres.