Romania's joining Schengen will depend on whether it manages to fulfill all tehnical conditions to secure external borders of the EU and will not depend on the issue of Rroma integration, German Chancellor Angela Merkel declared in an official visit to Bucharest after talks with PM Emil Boc, Romanian news agency Mediafax reads.
Here are the most important declarations
PM Emil Boc
- the visit marks 130 years of diplomatic relations with Romania and Bulgaria
- We can confirm, today, the excellent relations between the two countries
- I would like to underline the important role played by the German minority
- Germany is the first commercial partner for Romania and the third investor in Romania
- I expressed Romania's interest to increase investments in Romania
- Politically, we discussed several important themes for Romania: joining Schengen, the EU justice monitoring system
- I underlined Romania's determination to join Schengen in 2011
Angela Merkel
- the issue of Rroma integration does not have any role regarding Schengen criteria
- Germany wants to make sure that Schengen visas are not offered based on corruption
The German official will also meet Romanian President Traian Basescu at Cotroceni, the Presidency informs. At noon, Merkel will arrive in Cluj, central Romania where she will receie the Doctor Honoris Causa title from Babes Bolyai University for the contribution to the EU and its role in international cooperation.
