Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor is expected to meet Romanian President Traian Băsescu, the PM Emil Boc and the Senate president Mircea Geoana during her official visit to the country on Friday.

President Basescu recently denied Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Teodor Baconschi’s statement that Romania would condition Croatia’s membership upon implementation of cooperation and verification mechanisms (CVM) with which Romania must also comply.

Baconschi’s had made a statement in response to the decision to postpone Romania's and Bulgaria’s entrance into the Schengen area.

The European Union has insisted on imposing CVMs or benchmarks for Romania and Bulgaria, whose progress in judicial reform, fight against corruption and organized crime was not deemed satisfactory at the time of their entrance. These measures were extended for another year last September.

The Romanian President said that instead of blocking other countries' entrance, Romania must make further efforts in fulfilling the conditions necessary for entrance into the Schengen zone. Romanian Times reports that the deadline for entering the zone set for March 2011 has been officially postponed to October, at the earliest.

"At the core of the Romanian politics is not placing conditions for Croatia's entrance into the EU, but, quite the contrary, the unrestrained support for the accession of western Balkan states," Basescu said.