Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg (ÖVP) received a visit from his Bulgarian counterpart Marija Gabriel on Friday. Given the Austrian Schengen blockade against Bulgaria and Romania, the appointment was certainly explosive. Despite kind words and expressions, there was hardly any movement in the business.
After the meeting, it was said that Austria and Bulgaria would “continue to work closely together” on key EU issues. Mention was made of the planned accession of the Western Balkan countries to the EU and the Schengen issue, which has been so controversial since last autumn, as well as a possible improvement of the system that would allow Austria to abandon its rigid position .
“Bulgaria is part of the solution”
“Bulgaria is part of the solution to growing migration pressure and is interested in a well-functioning and improved Schengen zone,” said Gabriel, EU Commissioner for Research, Innovation, Education, Culture and Youth until June. “Bulgaria’s accession to Schengen will make the control of the EU’s external borders more effective.”
Schallenberg emphasized that the Austrian veto against the Schengen accession of Romania and Bulgaria was not against the two countries, but was due to the fact that the Schengen system is currently not working. “What we want is a system that offers us safety. If Austria regularly has the highest number of asylum applications per capita – 112,000 last year – then it shows that something is wrong,” Schallenberg said. 75 percent of these asylum seekers were only registered after arrival in Austria.
Domino for border control
In the past two months alone, seven Schengen states have introduced border controls and 70 percent of Schengen zone residents have already been affected, Schallenberg said. He compared the situation to a house where the individual parties install new locks on the doors of their apartments, but the common entrance door remains wide open.
Economically everything is a pleasure
Schallenberg and Gabriel positively emphasized the growing trade between the two countries. Austria is the second-largest foreign investor in Bulgaria, which could also become an important hub for the energy supply of Eastern and Central Europe, Schallenberg said. Gabriel highlighted that currently 350 companies from Austria are operating in Bulgaria and have created 20,000 jobs there.
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.
