The Netherlands un-links verification mechanism reports to Romania's Schengen admission

The Netherlands is no longer linking Romania's accession to Schengen to the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism reports (CVM), according to Romania's Foreign Affairs Minister Titus Corlatean (in picture, left), who is currently in Hague on an official visit. His Dutch counterpart Frans Timmermans (in picture, right) said the new Dutch Government is no longer making the link to the CVM reports, but still remains interested in the issue. Timmermans also said he sent the national parliament the government's evaluation on Romania's latest CVM report, highlighting the significant progress made by Romania's Government, as mentioned in the report. Corlatean had asked for support from his counterpart in receiving the green light for Schengen accession at the March 7-8 Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting. The two ministers agreed to stay in touch in the meantime to explore solutions that would benefit all EU members, ahead of the Council meeting in March. Timmermans also accepted an invitation to visit Romania this year. The Dutch official confirmed that the Netherlands will respect the law and liberalize access to its labor market for Romanians and Bulgarians from January 1, 2014. The Netherlands and Germany have been blocking a decision on Romania's Schengen admission in the last year, announcing they were waiting to see progress in the CVM report presented on January 30. editor@romania-insider.com (photo source: Romanian Ministry of External Affairs)