Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen “extremely” regretted Austria’s veto against the admission of Bulgaria and Romania to the Schengen area. Austria is in an extremely difficult situation due to the influx of refugees and migrants. “But unfortunately I have to admit that I do not see the connection, the connection between this problem and the Schengen accession of Romania and Bulgaria,” Van der Bellen said on Friday.
“I do not see how this blockade of Romania’s accession to Schengen will change anything about the situation in Austria,” the federal president emphasized at a press conference during a visit to Slovenia. “All I can see is that we have generated a lot of resentment at a European level,” he added.
Van der Bellen expects that the Austrian economy will have to pay a price for this decision. On the one hand, the development is likely to affect domestic tourism if fewer tourists arrive from Romania.
On the other hand, the president stressed that Austria is active in Romania with significant direct investment. “We will see how Romanian consumers react to this development,” he said. “In my opinion, an economic price is inevitable,” emphasizes Van der Bellen.
The Greens also criticized Karner’s decision
Even the Green coalition partner does not support the decision of Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP). “The vice-chancellor has already made it clear that we do not support Austria’s right of veto,” Justice Minister Alma Zadić (Greens) said in Brussels on Friday.
“We are first and foremost concerned with a European solution. The first step towards this European solution is of course the accession of Croatia. Bulgaria and Romania are part of the European family and freedom of movement is very important within the European family”, says Zadic. . She was convinced that “we will find a very fast European solution very soon”.
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.
