Austria may now support full Schengen membership for Romania and Bulgaria.
According to a report from the Austrian newspaper, Kurier, Austria is paving the way for the land border accession of these two Balkan countries to the Schengen Zone by spring 2025, Schengen.News reports.
Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner will meet with his counterparts from Romania and Bulgaria in Budapest on November 22 in an event organised by the current holder of the EU Council Presidency, Hungary.
In addition, the European Christian Democrats also expressed their displeasure at Austria’s position regarding this issue.
Signals That Austria Will Support Full Schengen Membership of Romania & Bulgaria
Recently, the Interior Minister of Austria, Gerhard Karner, said his country could support the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen Zone in terms of land borders.
In addition, recently, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) urged the European Union Council to set a date for the Schengen land border accession for these two countries.
The advisory body of the European Union (EU) approved a draft opinion, drafted by the Bulgarian Industrial Association (BIA) vice-president, Maria Mincheva, emphasising the economic costs of Romania and Bulgaria remaining outside the Schengen Zone in terms of land borders.
In addition, recently, the Romanian Member of the European Parliament, Victor Negrescu, said that Romania is on the final stretch towards full Schengen accession.
Austria has continuously opposed the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen Zone, mentioning irregular migration concerns as the main reason. However, Vienna supported the partial membership of these two countries in the EU’s borderless area.
On March 31, 2024, Romania and Bulgaria entered the Schengen Zone by air and sea, in spite of the fact that for land border accession, they will still have to wait, according to authorities in Austria.
In addition, the Interior Minister of Austria, Gerhard Karner, last month said that the time has not yet arrived for these two countries to become full members of Schengen.
Source: https://schengen.news/austria-may-clear-path-for-romania-bulgarias-full-schengen-accession/
