President Traian Basescu declared on Wednesday that Romania does not have to unilaterally give up the EC’s Verification and Cooperation Mechanism on Justice even though Germany and France link it to Romania’s joining Schengen. Moreover, Basescu said that Romania will not oppose Croatia’s joining the EU thus denying the statements of Foreign Affairs minister Baconschi. Basescu said Romania will struggle to the last minute to join Schengen at the initial deadline, April – May 2011 despite the official opposition of France and Germany.
President Basescu said that Romania needs to sign a precautionary agreement with the IMF and rejected the idea of a loan agreement with Russia. Basescu insisted that the government should assume, in the new IMF agreement the reform in the sanitary system. He urged the government to blend together useless hospitals and to introduce a pilot program in which doctors become contractual partners, not employees of the state.
