Romania will not enter the Schengen area in 2016, because the Netherlands and another EU country oppose this, said Prime Minister Victor Ponta. However, he did not want to mention the name of this country. He only gave the hint that it’s a country which is in good relations with Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Romanian President Klaus Iohannis met in Berlin in February this year. Merkel said that the last several EU reports on Romania had been reflecting the positive tendency in the country's development, but for the time being there was no answer to the question of when the Schengen accession could happen.

At the beginning of September, Natasha Bertaud, EC spokeswoman said that both Romania and Bulgaria fully meet the criteria for becoming members of the Schengen area. However, the decision didn’t belong to the European Commission anymore, but to the European Council, she added.

When forced to take in a mandatory number of refugees from the Middle East, this September, Romanian officials said that the country should have the same rights as other EU countries.

editor@romania-insider.com