Romania is "perfectly prepared for Schengen"

Romania is perfectly prepared, technically speaking, to join the Schengen area of free movement in the European Union - said Prime Minister Victor Ponta.

He said last night, in a television broadcast, that Romania and Bulgaria have spent a billion euro for a border security program and that, at this time, the two countries have a robust system of border protection.

"From the political point of view, for the European Union, to have two countries - Bulgaria and Romania – which have invested and spent a lot of money from the money of European citizens, who have at this time the ability to protect the borders better than others do and not to accept this thing, it's a purely political decision, "said the Premier.

The Romanian Prime Minister Sunday's statement, made ​​on Realitatea TV, comes after the European Commissioner for Justice and, at the same time, the European Commission Vice-President Viviane Reding have said - in an interview published Saturday in "Le Monde" - that she would not be surprised if the EU Member States will decide not to integrate Romania into Schengen at this moment.

Victor Ponta said that Viviane Reding talks about something that she does not know nor has responsibilities.

Regarding the allegations of Ms. Reding from the same French publication, according to which in this summer, in Romania, there had been a sort of "parliamentary coup", the Premier believes these are "some political statements of a Dâmboviţa river level".

Translated by Alexandra-Diana Mircea
MTTLC, Bucharest University