The Fight for Schengen

Earning the Schengen membership is regarded as the start of full administrative integration within the EU. Germany and France recently expressed an official stand for postponing Romania and Bulgaria’s accession, spurring a reaction from Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Baconschi. He condemned the reasons standing behind Paris and Berlin’s choice, namely corruption and a presumed lack of progress in the justice system.

Baconschi underlined that Romania has met the technical criterium, the only one that should be taken into consideration. Responding to the stand taken by the two great powers, he said that Romania could unilaterally leave the EU mechanism monitoring its law-enforcement system, and that it would insist that the same mechanism be applied to EU candidate Croatia.

The Romanian diplomat’s outburst was tempered by President Traian Basescu, who explained how Romania should cope with a possible postponement of its accession. Basescu said Romania cannot leave the monitoring mechanism, a position confirmed by the European Commission, and also that it cannot impose conditions for Croatia’s EU accession. He stated that, on the contrary, Romania’s foreign policy unreservedly supports west Balkan countries in joining the Union.

The President also rejected another solution put forth by MPs, suggesting that Romania should vote against an ammendment to the Lisbon Treaty that would allow Germany to keep its three extra MEPs in office.

On the same topic, Basescu took political responsibility for any possible postponement of Romania’s accession to the Schengen Area. The Opposition, keeping an eye on Basescu, subsequently laid even more blame on the ruling government, adding to the widely condemned faulty management of the economic crisis.

The Opposition is playing a political game, penalizing the Government’s every failure and speculating every mistake made in its foreign policy. Playing along, Social Democrat leader Victor Ponta and head of the National Liberals Crin Antonescu have said that Basescu’s assumption of responsibility should materialize in his resignation.