Romanian President, Van Rompuy Discuss Schengen Admission by End-2014

Romanian President Traian Basescu met with the European Council president Herman Van Rompuy in Brussels to discuss joining the Schengen area, Thursday.

Basescu said that he informed Herman Van Rompuy about Romania's intention to become a Schengen member state by the end of this year, Bulgarian News Agency Focus informed.

"I informed the President of the European Council that Romania intends to enter the Schengen area and become a member of Schengen by the end of this year, out of several reasons. This is not only a national objective, but also my personal objective. In the context in which my term in office ends in December, I would like to make this step too before I leave office, even in two stages," stated Basescu.

President Basescu stressed that in order to enter the Schengen area by the end of 2014, Romania can not stumble every time somebody makes a declaration or every time a group in the Parliament gets an idea.