Romania's Foreign Affairs Ministry reacts to a Dutch document criticizing the lack of anti-corruption measures in Romania and its EU fund management and cancels a scheduled visit of the Romanian Foreign Minister to Hague. The reaction comes after the Dutch counterpart presented a document addressed to the Romanian House of Deputies by the Dutch European Affairs minister, Frans Timmermans, together with the Dutch Foreign Affairs minister, Maxime Verhagen and Dutch Justice minister Ernst Hirsch Ballineste.

The Romanian Foreign Affairs ministry classed the reaction as inappropriate and unfriendly in the relation between two EU member states, an official press release reads. Romania and Bulgaria still lack necessary measures to counter corruption and organized crime, Dutch Foreign Affairs minister said, quoted by the Bulgarian news agency Focus News.

The Dutch government will continue to lobby for an improvement in the two countries at the EU level and if results will fail to appear, consequences will not take long to appear. The reaction of the Romanian Foreign Ministry was tough and clear enough: the ministry canceled the minister's visit to Hague, schedule for today.

Romanian President Traian Basescu is due to meet the new Dutch Ambassador to Bucharest, Maria Wilhelmina Josepha Antonia van Gool at 5:50 pm to receive the accreditation letter.

An official press release of the Romanian Foreign Ministry reads that the ministry took notice of the public endeavor of the Dutch Ministry from the press. The press release reads that the document contains radical stands on Romania's rule of law and excessive interpretations of the EC report on Romania.

Thus, the Romanian ministry considers the gesture unfriendly and ill suited in the relation of two EU member states. The gesture, the press release reads, contradicts the spirit and open relations existent between the two countries. In conclusion, the document outlines its hope that the Dutch ministry will explain, through diplomatic channels, the opinions put forward in the document.

UPDATE: Political Sources declared for HotNews.ro that the decision to cancel the official visit to Netherlands was taken by the Foreign Affairs minister, Cristian Diaconescu, without prior consulting or informing President Basescu. According to them, such a decision cannot be taken without a prior consultation of the President and the Prime Minister.

According to the Romanian constitution, the President's attributions in foreign policy are: to sign treaties, accreditations and recall Romanian Ambassadors. On the other hand, diplomatic sources contacted by HotNews.ro argue that the procedure was not mandatory in such cases.