A Disquieting Letter

The Interior Ministers of the two most influential countries in Europe have sent a letter to the most important EU institutions, claiming that Bucharest and Sofia have failed to meet objectives set under the cooperation and verification mechanism, with regard to corruption, justice and organized crime.

France and Germany have demanded that accession be postponed, fearing that justice system deficiencies might affect the administration of borders and the Schengen Information System at European level, with severe consequences for the EU’s internal security. That is why, the two added, accession to the Schengen Area should not be seen as merely the result of technical requirements being met. In Bucharest, the first response came from the highest level.


President Traian Basescu called this action discriminatory, saying that introducing other criteria, aside from technical ones, into the evaluation of a state’s ability to enter the free movement zone, would create a dangerous precedent.

Traian Basescu: ”The letter sent by the two ministers is an act of discrimination against Romania. Introducing new conditions for accession to the Schengen Agreement infringes upon European rights, creating a precedent that is unacceptable not only for Romania, but for any other EU state.”


On the other hand, Basescu admits that the realities pointed out by France and Germany cannot be contested. He blamed the Higher Council of the Magistrates for the precarious state of the judiciary, and accused Parliament of protecting its members suspected of corruption.


Just recently, deputies denied the prosecutors’ request to extend prosecution of their colleague and former Liberal-Democrat Youth Minister Monica Iacob Ridzi, for alleged acts of corruption during her term. Still, flaws in the justice system and other Romanian institutions, clear as they may be, are far from reason to impose new laws on Schengen accession.


Consequently, the stand taken by France and Germany was unanimously disavowed by the entire Romanian political class. Even the opposition, traditionally very critical of Basescu administration’s diplomatic relations, finds the action illegal, immoral and discriminatory.

A decision regarding accession to the Schengen Agreement will be made in early 2011, with Romanian authorities hoping that technical arguments will prevail over political ones.