EC: Romania Cannot Quit Verification Mechanism

It is up to the European Commission to decide whether and when to quit the Mechanism for Cooperation and Verification and not the states themselves.

This was stated by the EC's spokesperson Mark Gray as a response to Romania's Foreign Minister Teodor Baconschi's announcement on Monday that the Balkan country may quit the Mechanism for Cooperation and Verification if its European partners use it as a tool to put the country under pressure with regard to its possible Schengen entry.

According to Baconschi, Germany and France were "changing the rules in the middle of the game", as he stated that Romania has covered the initially signed technical assessment criteria.

However, at the end of December, the European Commission has confirmed its position against tying Bulgaria and Romania's Schengen zone entry with additional clauses and with the verification mechanism.

Bulgaria and Romania hope to join the border-free area in March 2011.

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