Brussels, 27/09/2013 (Agence Europe) - French politicians have been criticising the European Commission for statements about the Roma and the Roma aspect of whether Romania and Bulgaria should be allowed the join the Schengen Area, but the Romanian foreign minister called on France on Friday 27 September to stop talking about this in an attempt to drum up electoral support.
Like the Commission, Romania has pointed out that the country joining Schengen has nothing to do with the Roma question, contrary to reports in French newspapers. He said it would be better to avoid talking about such matters in an electoral context. Romania says that all European citizens have the right to travel freely in the EU, independently of whether their country is in Schengen or not. The question of extending the Schengen Area will be on the agenda of EU interior ministers for their meeting in December. Romania says that Bulgaria and itself, which have applied to join Schengen, have met all the technical requirements and the Romanian minister urged France to recognise this as a gesture of good neighbourly relations. A spokesperson for the French government, Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, said on Thursday that the criteria for Romania and Bulgarian joining Schengen had not been met. This is also the view of the French president, François Hollande. In July. French prime minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said the opposite. (SP/transl.fl)