Romanian authorities this week-end blocked six trucks stuffed with flowers from your Netherlands, citing health conditions linked to unspecified dangerous bacteria.
The blockade came perhaps coincidentally, but likely not just one single next day the Dutch government stated it would veto the enlargement from the passport-free Schengen zone to Romania and Bulgaria.
The Dutch aren't the sole sceptics in terms of expanding Europes borders to feature the eastern duo, a decision that will require unanimity among current Schengen members.
At least endless weeks of frustration other countries, including France and Germany, aligned against Schengen enlargement recently, worried that though Bulgaria and Romania had met the technical requirements outlined inside the accession programme, the endemic corruption both in countries must be addressed first.
Mindful that the issue has got the possible ways to create an East-West rift along the lines of that old Iron Curtain, some governments have become willing to back a compromise we detailed here last week, which involves a two-step entry into Schengen starting with airports.
Not the Dutch. Just like the eurozone crisis and EU enlargement to Croatia, The Hague has had to adopt a recalcitrant stance in part to fulfill the far-right anti-immigrant reflexes of Geert Wilders, whose party the centre-right coalition depends upon for its survival.
Containing caused fury in Sofia and Bucharest. EU rules are ignored due to strictly inner political consideration,says Theodor Baconschi, Romania's foreign minister. When the rope overtly blamed the Wilders alliance for the Dutch stance.
Though the Romanian sanitary authorities flatly deny the floral hostage-taking and Schengen are related. The flowers will be enroute in a couple of days, one official told AFP.
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