Just hours after the advance of European Minister Karoline Edtstadler (ÖVP), who said on krone.tv that “a fence or a wall” should be built around Europe in the fight against illegal migration, Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) followed suit on this cause . “We must finally break through the taboo fences,” he said on Thursday in the run-up to the EU summit in Brussels, also calling for more border barriers at the EU’s external borders.
According to the Chancellor, for example, a fence is needed in Bulgaria, which is supported with money from the European Union. Due to the increase in irregular migration, Austria had blocked the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to Schengen and made so few friends within the EU.
Nehammer in “close exchange” with Bulgaria and Romania
According to Nehammer, he is in “close contact” with the heads of state of the two countries. “The Bulgarian president himself says that it is necessary to strengthen the fence towards Turkey,” said the chancellor. Sofia says she needs about two billion euros for this.
“Fences in themselves are nothing new,” explains Nehammer, referring to the barriers on the Greek-Turkish border. “So far the nation states have been left alone, the European Commission is not releasing the funds.”
The Austrian Schengen veto remains a hot topic
Aside from calls for more border barriers at the EU’s external borders, Austria’s Schengen veto remains a hotly debated topic within the EU. Bulgaria met all the necessary technical criteria in 2011, Bulgarian President Rumen Radev stressed. Any objection from the countries involved is motivated by domestic politics.
krone.tv video: Edtstadler wants to build “fence or wall” around Europe
Bulgaria: “We are very motivated to protect our borders”
He is convinced that most migrants do not come through Bulgaria. “We are highly motivated to protect our borders,” the Bulgarian president stressed, noting that three Bulgarian policemen had died at the border. “They were shot at the border while protecting the EU’s external border,” Radew said. He therefore demands that Bulgaria be regarded as a country of solidarity.
Radew also said that he was in close contact with Nehammer and Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen and that he thought “a solution would be found together very quickly”. “I can guarantee that Bulgaria will do its best, but please don’t leave us alone, because no country on the frontline can handle this alone.”
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.
