Romania should have requested the vote on its Schengen bid to be separate from Bulgaria’s; this is an ill-fated day for Romanians, a day they didn’t deserve, MEP Corina Cretu, a former European Commissioner, said, according to Agerpres.

„Austria and the Netherlands voted against Romania and Bulgaria joining the Schengen Area. The representative of the Netherlands explained that his country considers Bulgaria unprepared. Austria openly vetoed Romania’s accession. It is sad for Romania, which – in my opinion – should have requested a separate vote from Bulgaria. We still hold hopes for the EU Council on December 15,” the MEP wrote on Facebook.

According to Cretu, „it is however appropriate to thank the Czech Presidency of the European Union, which has provided us a lot of support in the last six months”.

„The Swedish Presidency which starts on January 1 does not intend to put this topic on the agenda during its term. Starting July 1, 2023, we can perhaps revive our hopes during the Spanish EU Presidency, which fully supports Romania’s entry to the Schengen. As a consequence, our access is blocked for the moment. An ill-fated day for Romania, a day the Romanians do not deserve,” Pro Romania member Corina Cretu wrote.

Agerpres