Minister of Culture Lucian Romascanu said that Romania met the criteria for joining the Schengen area for 11 years, but those in charge of the country’s foreign policy did not make a reasonable effort to achieve this „major national goal”, according to Agerpres.

„We have convinced ourselves that we must be in Schengen, but each of us must take this message forward where one can. (…) I cannot but say that we have met these criteria for 11 years, 11 years in which our foreign policy has either forgotten, or failed to realize, notice, and make a reasonable effort to achieve this major national goal. We have elected twice a president who said he would do it. He is the number 1 person responsible for foreign policy. It did not happen. Certainly, we are looking, besides Schengen, to the CVM [the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism], we are also looking at visas with the US, things have not really happened to us on foreign policy and unfortunately neither had the attribute within the PSD [the Social Democratic Party] to do these things,” Romascanu stated at the debate called „Consolidation of the European project. The Schengen area and the benefits of Romania,” organized by PES activists Romania.

Agerpres