PNL MEP Rares Bohdan spoke on Wednesday during a debate in the European Parliament on the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen area: “What else do we need to do to be treated as equals and respected by all EU members? ( … ) Are we going to block at the border the trains and hundreds of trucks with grain that cross Romania every day to reach the western markets?”. When asked Thursday about the claims, Iohannis said Rares Bohdan “raised a bit of a wave.”

“Don’t make us play hard too!”

PNL MEP Rares Bohdan spoke on Wednesday during a debate in the European Parliament on the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen area, saying that for 11 years two European countries that Romanians respect have systematically humiliated Romanians by blocking Schengen accession.

• “What else should we do to be treated as equals and respected by all EU members? Let’s cause a food crisis on a European level? Let’s block at the border the trains and the hundreds of grain trucks that cross Romania every day to reach the western markets, in the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Austria, Germany, Italy?
• Don’t make us play too! Until now, we were too elegant and quiet. We are no less European than the West. Do not send Romanian voters to populists and Eurosceptics.
• Blocking Romania outside Schengen is an injustice to the deeply European people,” said Rares Bohdan at the EP plenary session.

“He got a little carried away”

Asked Thursday about the claims and whether Romania might take such action, President Klaus Iohannis said Rares Bohdan “got a little carried away”:

• I think he got a little carried away. There is no such thing as a problem. We strive to support Ukraine and the export of grain to Europe, so there is no such problem.”