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Iohannis: I don't think decoupling from Bulgaria in Schengen file is a good solution
President Klaus Iohannis said on Wednesday he did not believe decoupling Romania from Bulgaria on the accession to the Schengen file was a good solution, adding that such an option would be a last resort solution.
"Purely theoretically, the matter with the Dutch vote has two solutions: either the Netherlands changing their option and saying 'yes' to both Romania and Bulgaria, or a separate voting, in which the vote for Romania remains a 'yes' and the one for Bulgaria a 'no'. I personally believe that entering Schengen together is considerably better, preferable to the other option. Imagine what happens if Bulgaria, which is not precisely a great European force, it is a good neighbour and partner of ours, remains alone to face the migration wave that hasn't ceased. I do not think it is a good solution. The decoupling solution would be a last resort solution, nonetheless which me and my team do not seek. We seek an option to join the area together," Iohannis said before attending the European Union and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (EU-ASEAN) Summit.
Iohannis showed that for the Justice and Home Affairs Council also prepared was an option of setting off Romania's entrance from that of Bulgaria, and not decoupling it.
"The procedures, here, in Brussels, the European procedures are very complex and they allow very many approaches. What the Interior Minister prepared and presented had been prepared with my team and didn't include a decoupling, it included a set-off, namely Romania entering first and Bulgaria afterwards, but a joint voting, only the actual entrance dates to be different and the verification requirements to be somewhat adapted to each country," the head of state said.
When asked if this decoupling was still considered, Iohannis said: "This is what I and we all shall find out from very many discussions and negotiations with all those involved. We must see things as they are. This negative vote has a strong impact all over the Union, because we work on unity, solidarity, we don't want to reach any conflict between us, we want to reach solutions together and then it can be found that everywhere people are trying to find the most positive option and that is why I believe the diplomatic solution is the only feasible one, but we'll need a certain amount of time."