On Thursday, the EU’s interior ministers will decide whether to extend the Schengen area to Bulgaria, Romania and Croatia. According to Gerhard Karner (ÖVP), Austria – as the only country – sticks to its no for Bulgaria and Romania. His party colleague (and Vice-President of the European Parliament) Othmar Karas has sharply criticized his attitude.
A Schengen blockade does not contribute to solving the number of asylum seekers and is not directly related to it. Mixing the two is “irresponsible and unspeakable,” Karas told Karner.
NEOS boss also criticizes Schengen No
“Austria’s announced veto against Romanian and Bulgarian accession to Schengen shows the carelessness of the Austrian federal government and threatens the heart of the European project: freedom,” NEOS president Beate Meinl-Reisinger criticized Wednesday according to the broadcast. She calls on the federal government to withdraw the veto threat.
Karner: “Emergency call”
Karner described the veto threat on Tuesday as an “emergency call” in the morning newspaper “Ö1”, to which the European Commission has not yet responded. The interior minister cited “over 100,000 asylum applications” this year as the reason for the negative stance – a number he says should not be possible as Austria is a landlocked country and has no EU external borders.
Chancellor Nehammer repeats Austria’s rejection
Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) also reiterated Austria’s rejection at the Western Balkans summit in Tirana on Tuesday. The so-called action plan that the European Commission presented on Monday for the Western Balkans is therefore not sufficient. Among other things, this has led to a significant increase in border controls along the Western Balkan routes, partly with the help of the EU border control force Frontex. The return of rejected asylum seekers must also be accelerated.
Von der Leyen understands Austria’s no
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, expressed understanding for the Austrian position: “Austria needs solidarity and support, so we are working on it together with our Austrian friends,” she said. Austria is “hit extremely hard” by the flow of migrants and “if we look at illegal migration, we see that it has tripled compared to last year.”
The Netherlands and Sweden also oppose Schengen expansion
The Netherlands and Sweden have long been against the expansion of the Schengen area. After Sweden, however, the Netherlands indicated at the beginning of this week that it agreed to the accession of all three countries.
Bulgaria threatens “countermeasures”
Bulgaria’s acting Prime Minister Galab Donev on Tuesday threatened “countermeasures” if the Netherlands and Austria voted against Bulgaria’s entry into the Schengen area, Euractiv reported. He hopes “common sense will prevail” by the time a vote is taken, Donev said. Donev did not say exactly what action Bulgaria intends to take in the event of a veto.
Croatia’s admission to the Schengen area is considered secure. There will be a separate vote on Thursday on Croatia’s accession, after which a decision will be taken on enlargement with Romania and Bulgaria. With the accession of the countries to the Schengen area, systematic identity checks on entry and exit will be abolished.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
