Baconschi: We expect JHA Council's consensus on a two-step accession to Schengen; it is a reasonable compromise

'We expect a consensus in the JHA Council on this two-step accession, it is a reasonable compromise, we hope all member states follow the rules of the game and not make a prisoner out of this Schengen issue in all kinds of domestic, populist discourses. The Polish Presidency is also positive, so I am relatively optimistic, but I do not rush, because we truly live during a very agitated period, with very many destabilizing factors and I prefer to be cautious,' the Chief Romanian Diplomat told Radio Romania Actualitati radio station.

He showed that, in order to break the deadlock on this issue, Romania was prepared to reiterate its being technically ready to access the Schengen area and hoped that those member states invoking the connection between this matter and the one of the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM) in Justice should read in all honesty the last report drawn up this summer by the European Commission regarding the CVM.

'We are technically prepared, and the ones connecting this issue with that of the CVM have done it in an abusive manner, but we could not reject this exercise. Still, if they read the [CVM] report this summer in all honesty, they will see the reform in Justice is irreversible and makes progress,' Minister Baconschi added.