The Hungarian Foreign Ministry, in response to an internal dispute among Romanian politicians, said that "Hungary supports both the enlargement of the European Union and the expansion of the Schengen area," G4media.ro reported

"In addition to this fact, our state has a fruitful collaboration with Romania; it is our interest to maintain and develop good neighborly relations."

Last week, Stelian Ion, the Romanian minister of justice, accused the ethnic Hungarians' party UDMR of backing Hungary's alleged opposition to Romania's Schengen membership. Ion alleged that UDMR blocks the justice reforms to prevent the lifting of the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism, an informal prerequisite for Romania to be accepted as a Schengen member.

The Romanian justice minister made the accusations irritated by UDMR's amendments to a bill aimed at dismantling a controversial section of prosecutors (SIIJ).

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andrei@romania-insider.com