Marine Le Pen, leader of the French National Front, has expressed her concerns over Romania and Bulgaria’s Schengen entry, asking French Interior Minister Manuel Valls to make France’s position clear.

This came soon after Manuel Valls said that the admission of the two countries "is not on the agenda", adding that he was “more than reserved” on this matter.

“We don’t ask the Interior Minister Manuel Valls to be “reserved” on Romania and Bulgaria’s entry into the Schengen area as he said this morning, but to make it very clear that France will oppose it,” reads a statement of Marine Le Pen published on her official website.

Referring to the Roma population, Marine Le Pen added that Manuel Valls “showed a lot of agitation” over this issue, “but refuses to face the real problems.”

“From January 1, 2014, Romania and Bulgaria will be full members of the European Union. Without being yet in the Schengen area, the movement of Romanians and Bulgarians in the EU, including the Roma population, will be even easier than now,” she said in the statement.

Earlier this month, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said Romania and Bulgaria have met the criteria for Schengen area membership and should be given a chance to enter the zone as soon as possible.

Both countries have been refused access into the Schengen area in the last few years.

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com