Austria raises Veto: Schengen expansion for Romania and Bulgaria!

Austria raises Veto: Schengen expansion for Romania and Bulgaria!

Brüssel, Belgien - Austria raises his veto against the Schengen accession of Romania and Bulgaria! Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) confirmed this on Thursday with the EU Interior Ministers in Brussels. After two years of blockade, which Austria had implemented due to worrying asylum figures, there is now the green light for the two Balkan countries. The decision is expected to be officially announced in Brussels on December 12, which means that the controls at the land borders on January 1, 2025 can be canceled, such as the reported.

The still valid controls on the land borders have been criticized by numerous EU countries in the past. Karner said: "After, Schengen Air" is also open to Romania and Bulgaria, Schengen Land "open". This means full accession after the two countries are already part of "Air Schengen" in air traffic, which means that there are no longer any controls of air and sea races. The EU ambassadors had already prepared a decision to admit both countries and the past negotiations in Budapest led to a new border protection package that further advanced, as the Krone reported.

Austria's veto was decided in 2022 due to increasing number of asylum and inadequate EU migration measures, which led to massive outrage in Romania and Bulgaria. The solo self-accommodation of ÖVP policy was criticized as "deeply unfair". However, the current decision shows that Austria is ready to adhere to the common rules under the pressure of the EU and to work more closely with the other member states in the future to increase the security of the Union. In the past few months, bilateral conversations and negotiations have taken place to find a solution that is now being implemented into reality.