Italy intends to support Romania's Schengen accession bid when it takes presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second half of 2014, according to the Romanian Ambassador to Rome, Dana Constantinescu.

“Italy has constantly supported our country’s ascension to the Schengen area,” said Constantinescu in an interview for TMNews, adding that Romania has met all the criteria in this sense.

Romania and Bulgaria have been awaiting to join the Schengen area, after seven years of transition since entering the EU.

But the two countries’ joining the border-free area has been constantly blocked by various EU member states, including Finland and the Netherlands, which in September 2011 pointed to the local corruption and the lack of concrete actions against organized crime in both countries.

Earlier this year, Germany too said it would oppose Romania’s Schengen entry.

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com