After the disagreement over a possible reduction of social benefits for migrants, the next bone of contention in the turquoise-green coalition continues: Romania’s accession to Schengen, which was blocked by Austria. People depend on the country’s nursing staff, said Social Affairs Minister Johannes Rauch (Greens) on Tuesday – he is therefore committed to better conditions for skilled workers.
Contrary to the line of his coalition partner, Minister of Health and Social Affairs Johannes Rauch (Greens) has spoken out in favor of Romania joining the border-free Schengen area.
The admission would “generally improve the framework conditions for professionals who work cross-border”, especially for the 24-hour supervisors, Rauch said after speaking with his Romanian counterpart Marius Budai on the sidelines of an EU meeting in Brussels on Tuesday.
Without Romania “existing quality not possible”
“In Austria, thousands of families depend every day on the support of 24-hour caregivers from Romania and other countries in Central and Eastern Europe,” Rauch said, according to a broadcast. “Without the 30,000 24-hour caregivers, the care for people in need of care in Austria would not be possible in the current quality.”
In addition to the health care system, care and support, the domestic economy would also “broadly benefit” from the accession, the health minister argued. “Romania is part of the European community and should therefore also be part of the Schengen area.”
The EU also sees conditions fulfilled
Chancellor Karl Nehammer and Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (both ÖVP) justified the Austrian veto against Romania and Bulgaria joining Schengen with increasing illegal migration, including via the Balkan route. From the point of view of the European Commission and the European Parliament, both countries had fulfilled all the conditions to join Schengen.
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.
