Schengen expansion: Austria picks up Veto-borders open!
Schengen expansion: Austria picks up Veto-borders open!
Budapest, Ungarn - On Thursday, the EU Interior Minister decided to expand the border control-free Schengen area around Bulgaria and Romania. Austria, which had previously lodged the veto against the admission of the two countries as the last EU country, announced that it would now agree. Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) said before the vote that Austria would give up his veto and agree to join. This means that nothing stands in the way of full accession on January 1, 2025, although certain controls should continue to exist at the internal limits, as krone.at reported.
The consent was the result of intensive negotiations that Austria's attitude towards the full junction of Bulgaria and Romania for over two years. The print on the part of the EU Commission and the newly agreed border protection package, which was worked out in November with the participation of the interior ministers of Austria, Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary, led to a change of course. Among other things, this package provides to send a common contingent of a hundred border guards to the Bulgarian-Turkish border. This was also necessary to ensure that the EU external borders are better protected, as highlighted.
Schengen agreement and border protection
In addition to the real Schengen extension, a predecessor, known as "Air Schengen", came into force at the end of March 2024, which had lifted the border controls on the air and sea regulations on Bulgaria and Romania. However, this model could only be regarded as a temporary solution until the land borders are also opened from January 2025, which makes the traffic between these countries and the rest of the Schengen area significantly easier. This time the Austrian government has announced that it will "not lie down", which is in contrast to the past years in which the veto triggered noticeable tensions with Romania and Bulgaria.
The decision comes at a time when the numbers of irregular entry into the EU are declining. According to Karner, the illegal entry over the Balkan route has dropped by 80 percent, which made negotiations easier. Politicians from the EU Parliament, such as Hannes Heide from the SPÖ, expressed a positive statement about the change of course in Austria and emphasized the importance of relationships with Romania and Bulgaria as well as the domestic economy.
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| Ort | Budapest, Ungarn |
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