European Salon de News, Discussion et Klatsch - 3 March | 70 comments (70 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)

Backdoor deals give Serbia EU candidate status | EurActiv

Serbia clinched its coveted status of EU candidate country at a summit in Brussels last night (1 March), after Bucharest dropped its opposition following an agreement on a roadmap that should see Romania enter the Schengen passport-free area in September.
...During a dramatic meeting at the ministerial level on 28 February, Romania took its EU partners by surprise when it announced it had concerns over the rights of ethnic Romanians living in Serbia...
The move raised eyebrows among EU ministers, while in Serbia anti-Romanian sentiments started spreading like a forest fire.
This led to frantic behind-the-scenes talks ahead of the EU summit. In what appeared like a face-saving effort, Bucharest and Belgrade signed a bilateral agreement at the ambassadorial level yesterday morning, providing for the better protection for the Romanian minority in Serbia.

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Fri Mar 2nd, 2012 at 01:39:18 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Europe (none / 0)

A different take:

EUobserver.com / Enlargement / Serbia gets EU candidate status, Romania gets nothing

EU Council chairman Herman Van Rompuy, after chairing a special Dutch-Romanian meeting on Thursday, said there is "strong political will" to make a "positive decision" on Schengen in September.
But in the end Romanian President Traian Basescu backed down without any real concessions.
Dutch leader Mark Rutte said he will only lift the veto if the European Commission in July says Bulgaria and Romania have done enough to fight corruption. "We need two [commission] reports that point in the right direction," he noted.

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Fri Mar 2nd, 2012 at 01:39:26 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Europe (none / 0)

Ahhh...Ohhh...I have never heard about Romanians in Serbia being mistreated or discriminated or even hated in any way (excluding some isolated more personal cases). My maternal grandmother was Romanian from Vojvodina and I used to visit Romanian relatives in those areas of Vojvodina that have a lot of Romanians. So this is really news for me and frankly I do not believe it. Someone (probably Germans) pushed and pressed Romanian politicians to raise this "issue" because they want to force Serbia to recognize Kosovo and are not successful by now. So let's press Serbia more by opening new conflicts between minorities and Serbs... Don't they have enough trouble with Hungary's new aspirations about other state's territory and human rights issue? Don't they have enough trouble in Europe anyway? Unbelievable...And poor Romania has to do everything they ask to get Schengen that it should get anyway...

Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind...Albert Einstein

by vbo on Sat Mar 3rd, 2012 at 03:30:24 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Europe (none / 0)

So this is really news for me and frankly I do not believe it.

Why? Whipping up ethnic hatred is easy and quick, it doesn't need much precedent, and specifically in Vojvodina, there have been conflicts pushed by nationalists recently.

Someone (probably Germans) pushed and pressed Romanian politicians to raise this "issue"

Nope, the motivation mentioned in the article, Romania's blocked entry into the Schengen zone, is very much a sore issue for Romania to do stuff on their own.

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Sat Mar 3rd, 2012 at 06:27:50 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Europe (none / 0)

and specifically in Vojvodina, there have been conflicts pushed by nationalists recently.

Honestly, there were tensions in Vojvodina (probably "always" but mostly during Milosevic) between Hungarians and Serbs, because of the history and because Hungarians were loud about how they would like separation. But I really can't remember any serious conflict with Romanians. I am not there and I can't guaranty that now may be some tensions but I haven't heard or read about them anywhere...so I am skeptical about this sudden "news".
On the other hand Romanian situation in Serbia has NOTHING to do with Romania not having Schengen...I do not see connection at all so it's pretty much looks to me like "you stir things in Serbia so we can show them for not being obedient about Kosovo and we'll give you Schengen"...or actually not...but well we can promise to do it anyway...

Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind...Albert Einstein

by vbo on Sat Mar 3rd, 2012 at 08:55:28 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Europe (none / 1)

Its the way politics happen in EU all the time. A government treathens veto in one question to gain an advantage in a unrelated question. Crappy system, but there it is.

Sweden's finest (and perhaps only) collaborative, leftist e-newspaper Synapze.se

by A swedish kind of death on Sat Mar 3rd, 2012 at 09:10:00 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Europe (none / 0)

I repeat, whipping up ethnic hatred is easy and quick, it doesn't need much precedent. By assuming that it needs long-running precedent, you are also implicitly excusing those who whip up hatred.

On the other hand Romanian situation in Serbia has NOTHING to do with Romania not having Schengen...

Why would it have to? This is politics, where horse-trading and blackmail are the norm. You use the influences you have to get what you want. (And Romanian President Băsescu is a populist who found nothing beneath him in his domestic power struggles, so it entirely fits his style.)

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Sat Mar 3rd, 2012 at 09:32:22 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Europe (none / 0)

Why would it have to? This is politics, where horse-trading and blackmail are the norm.
---------------
Yes but I am just saying that I am sceptical about this "issue" with Romanians as nowadays I am sceptical about ANYTHING they present us as truth. It is so obvious after all we have witnessed in last few decades that they will stir and lie and go to war and do practically ANYTHING just to preserve their interest. Probably this was a case always but is now more obvious because we have this information revolution and people can find out more...if they want and if they are capable.

Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind...Albert Einstein

by vbo on Sat Mar 3rd, 2012 at 06:00:40 PM EST
[ Parent ]

European Salon de News, Discussion et Klatsch - 3 March | 70 comments (70 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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