Austria’s veto against Romania’s entry into the Schengen Area has created a crisis between Vienna and Bucharest. The Romanian senator and former foreign minister Titus Corlatean will travel to Vienna next week together with other parliamentarians to look for solutions. In advance he accuses the Austrian government of unpredictability and dishonesty.
‘I don’t know if we still have a partner in Vienna today. That is the main question I will ask in Vienna,” the head of the Corlatean delegation told the “Standard”. He showed little understanding for Austria’s veto against Romania’s accession to Schengen. “I want to emphasize that illegal migrants not come through Romania, and if someone continues to associate Ukrainian refugees with illegal migration, that person is unprofessional or dishonorable.”
“Why would a migrant walk around?”
Moreover, all you have to do is look at the map: “It’s just silly to think that a migrant who comes from Serbia or Croatia then goes east and then climbs north to Romania. Why should he wander instead of going straight west via Hungary?’ asked Corlatean. Nevertheless, the parliamentary delegation in Vienna is seeking cooperation at the partnership level to establish a roadmap for accession to Schengen, “perhaps in two steps this year”.
Corlatean explained the steps as follows: “You could start the Schengen accession with part of the borders, such as with the airports and with the maritime borders. After that it is about a clear perspective for the land borders, especially because of the Austrian objections to the Bulgarian border.” What is needed is a common understanding that the problem must be solved and bridges must be built. Representatives of the federal government will not meet the delegation.
‘Veto used for political game’
The Romanian Social Democrat and head of the Foreign Policy Committee in the Senate accused the ÖVP of using Romania in an “immoral way for their internal political game before the Lower Austrian state elections”. But she didn’t even achieve her goal. It has lost the majority, while at the same time fueling the far right in Austria and jeopardizing a partnership, including economic, with an important country. We have lost confidence in the partnership with Austria.” The “worst thing” is also “the sense of humiliation for Romanian society”.
On 8 December, Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) spoke out against extending the control-free Schengen area to Romania and Bulgaria. Austria argues with the large number of illegal migrants who arrived in Austria in 2022 and were not previously registered in an EU country. “The Schengen system is broken,” Karner said.
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.
