The Swedish Minister for European Affairs Birgitta Ohlsson recently said in an interview that Romania lacks the political will to solve the situation of Roma.

“Sweden has negotiated several months with Romania on the use of EU funds for Roma, so they don’t emigrate. I am disappointed that the Romanian government doesn’t want to cooperate at an European level. We need other parties in these negotiations,” she said in the interview for Der Standard, quoted by local Mediafax.

When asked why Romania blocked the implementation of a task force, Birgitta Ohlsson said there are several reasons, including pride.

“There is a lack of political will in Romania. At the same time, the country lacks the administrative capacity for the efficient use of EU funds. It's one of the poorest countries in the Union. Perhaps pride also plays a role - Romania doesn’t want to have observers from other countries,” she added.

editor@romania-insider.com