Tulip bulbs seized in trade row

Romanian authorities have seized lorry loads of tulips and bulbs from the Netherlands in what one Dutch MEP has called blackmail, after the Netherlands said it would veto Romania's entry to the border-free Schengen area.

Romanian financial authorities said the bulbs and seeds could be contaminated with "dangerous bacteria". More than a dozen lorries were stopped, and three truckloads were sent back to the Netherlands.

The Dutch Immigration Minister Gerd Leers has said the Netherlands will block Romania's entry into the Schengen area over insufficient work in the fight against corruption. AP