Romania will not enter the Schengen Agreement anytime soon, the country's interim President Crin Antonescu believes.

However, he believes Romania's blocked Schengen entry will not be the result of the difficult political situation in the country.

"It is well known that Romania's Schengen accession was blocked despite the fulfillment of all requirements. That happened before the new Romanian government came to power and is in no way connected to the impeachment of President Traian Basescu," Antonescu has told local media, according to the Bulgarian Focus news agency.

The interim President believes Bucharest is not allowed in Schengen due to political reasons.

The European Commission's new Co-operation and Verification Mechanism report will be used by the opponents of Romania's Schengen entry, he has stated, perhaps referring to the Netherlands that insists to see two consecutive positive reports on Romania and Bulgaria before letting them join the European border-free zone.

The two EU newcomers are expected to fail their biggest test since their EU accession in 2007 with the upcoming publication of crucial progress reports on the reform of law enforcement on Wednesday.

Romania faces unprecedented criticism because of suspected attempts by its new government to ease democratic checks and balances, while Bulgaria faces more heat over alleged close ties between government officials and organized crime.

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