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Independent presidential candidate Mircea Diaconu, backed by ALDE-Pro Romania and the Neoliberal Party, said on Tuesday in Targu Mures that since Romania has met the technical criteria for joining the Schengen, the country's leaders should have turned to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), which has jurisdiction in such arbitrations.
"The Schengen subject is clearly set forth in the Treaty, with description, stages, completion and deadline for entry into force. None of these have been observed. (...) We made the investments, spent money, made preparations. Technically we have the endorsement, but they don't agree. Someone or another from the friendly countries - they just keep passing the ball from one another - doesn't agree, they resort to a form of veto that is on its way out in the Union. It's embarrassing. (...) The European Parliament has voted three times so far for Romania and Bulgaria to be admitted to the Schengen Area. In the Council, the President who represents us, should have told his 27 or 28 counterparts: 'Dear colleagues, we are friends, we are equal, what does these treaties stipulate? No country can be discriminated against in relation to the others. Here is a list of discriminations against my country. Because he goes there as a representative of the country called Romania, not of a right-wing political group that follows Mrs. Merkel or I don't know whom. (...) We wait for a moment, and then refer the case accompanied by the treaties to the Court of Justice in Luxembourg, which was created exactly for this type of arbitration," Diaconu said during an electoral visit to Targu Mures.
"Schengen accession isn't a foreign policy matter and I'll tell you why. It's a technical contrivance that is part of the treaties we entered into when we joined the European Union. It's as simple as that and I don't see why we haven't solved it yet. (...) If we played tot for tat everybody would act in perfect fairness. There's a Romanian saying: if you don't respect yourself, nobody will," said Diaconu.
