Even if opinions vary on how many new regions Romania should have, there is a political agreement that the country should be reorganized, the Romanian president Traian Basescu (in picture) has recently said, adding that Romania can be reorganized until June, 2012. “By June 2012 everything needed can be done in order to have legitimate elections, and create a  more flexible and more effective local administration”, said Traian Basescu, during a press conference.

Romania needs administrative reorganization, because the current system, which has been kept since 1968, generates inefficiency in using EU money and triggers corruption, according to Traian Basescu.

About Romania’s accession to the Schengen area, the Romanian president said that Romania rejects the addition of new conditions for joining the Schengen area, but that, taking note of choices of countries such as the Netherlands, France, Germany, he cannot but give full attention to the Mechanism of Cooperation and Verification (MCV) and recognize the deficiencies in the judiciary system.

Traian Basescu has harshly criticized the judiciary system in Romania, saying that “no justice in any state of the European Union has ever done so much damage to that country, as the Romanian justice system did to Romania.”

Several European countries, amid which the Netherlands, have recently chosen to delay Romania's entry into the Schengen area, saying a trial period is needed before the country joins.

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