BUCHAREST, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on Wednesday reaffirmed the country's commitment to access the eurozone as well as its determination to continue efforts to join the Schengen Area.
The single currency remains one of the most tangible evidence of the European integration, and Romania commits to joining it once all the criterion have been met, said the president at the reception on the occasion of Europe's Day.
Iohannis also raised the topic of Romania's participation in Schengen in his speech, stressing that "we will continue the steps for our integration with full rights in the Schengen Area, an integration that will contribute to the strengthening of the entire European Union security."
Romania joined the European Union in 2007, but Schengen accession has been a long process for the eastern European country, whose entry into the border-free area has been constantly delayed since 2011, due to the opposition of some member states. There is no confirmed timetable for its joining so far.
On the issue of euro adoption in Romania, the Bucharest authorities have postponed the target date from the initial 2014 to 2019, and now further to 2024, for its economy to catch up with that of richer countries.
