Romania threatens Croatia in Schengen dispute

Romania is threatening to create problems for Croatia's EU accession bid, euobserver.com reports. This comes in a diplomatic counter-attack against delays to its own entry into the EU's border-free Schengen zone, writes the online publication. Romania threatens Croatia in Schengen dispute Romanian foreign minister Teodor Baconschi in an interview with the daily newspaper Adevarul on Monday attacked Germany and France for linking Romania's Schengen bid to progress on corruption and organized crime. "The same rules that were applied to any other enlargement of the Schengen area must be respected," he said, noting that Romania had been promised to get into Schengen when it met purely "technical" requirements. "Let's have a look at Croatia's situation. We are supporting any EU enlargement to the western Balkans. But we can't accept that this is being done without CVM, as long as CVM is being kept in our case," he added in a thinly-veiled threat to hold Zagreb to ransom over the Schengen issue. The so-called Co-operation and Verification Mechanism (CVM) was imposed on Romania and its southern neighbor Bulgaria in an unusual move in 2007 because the European Commission and other EU states wanted to pressure the two countries to keep-up anti-corruption reforms after they entered the Union. Four years later, the CVM is still in place and Romania is still rated as one of the most corrupt countries in Europe. In a letter sent last month to the European Commission, German and French interior ministers said Romania and Bulgaria must make "irreversible progress" in terms of CVM monitoring before they can enter Schengen. Schengen enlargement has no legal connection to the CVM. But the proviso is also supported by the Netherlands and the Nordic countries, which believe speedy Schengen entry would remove an incentive for further reform and would help organised crime rings in the two countries to expand into other EU states. Romania's Baconschi also said that Bucharest could "unilaterally" ditch the CVM, explaining that it should be a two-way street and a co-operation platform rather than a "handicap." Romania's sabre-rattling seems to be directed primarily at Germany - Croatia's main supporter in the EU - rather than the Balkan state itself. But it could, in theory, delay the process.

Romania threatens Croatia in Schengen dispute

Romanian foreign minister Teodor Baconschi in an interview with the daily newspaper Adevarul on Monday attacked Germany and France for linking Romania's Schengen bid to progress on corruption and organized crime.

"The same rules that were applied to any other enlargement of the Schengen area must be respected," he said, noting that Romania had been promised to get into Schengen when it met purely "technical" requirements.

"Let's have a look at Croatia's situation. We are supporting any EU enlargement to the western Balkans. But we can't accept that this is being done without CVM, as long as CVM is being kept in our case," he added in a thinly-veiled threat to hold Zagreb to ransom over the Schengen issue.

The so-called Co-operation and Verification Mechanism (CVM) was imposed on Romania and its southern neighbor Bulgaria in an unusual move in 2007 because the European Commission and other EU states wanted to pressure the two countries to keep-up anti-corruption reforms after they entered the Union.

Four years later, the CVM is still in place and Romania is still rated as one of the most corrupt countries in Europe.

In a letter sent last month to the European Commission, German and French interior ministers said Romania and Bulgaria must make "irreversible progress" in terms of CVM monitoring before they can enter Schengen.

Schengen enlargement has no legal connection to the CVM. But the proviso is also supported by the Netherlands and the Nordic countries, which believe speedy Schengen entry would remove an incentive for further reform and would help organised crime rings in the two countries to expand into other EU states.

Romania's Baconschi also said that Bucharest could "unilaterally" ditch the CVM, explaining that it should be a two-way street and a co-operation platform rather than a "handicap."

Romania's sabre-rattling seems to be directed primarily at Germany - Croatia's main supporter in the EU - rather than the Balkan state itself. But it could, in theory, delay the process.