Schengen thaw – Romania lifts the NATO blockade against the federal army

As “Die Presse” reports, Romania has repeatedly prevented the accreditation of the two officials by interrupting the so-called “silent procedure” by requesting an extension of the deadline.

Ministry confirms green light
Austria has now announced the prospect of expanding the Schengen area to include Romania and Bulgaria, at least for sea and air routes, under the heading “Air Schengen”. That is why Romania has given the green light to the army officers, as the Ministry of Defense has confirmed.

A statement said: “Once the management of the accreditation is completed, the officers will be able to resume their jobs in NATO structures in a timely manner.” According to press information, the two officers will be stationed at NATO’s Allied Joint Force Command in Brunssum, Netherlands, and in Bergen, Belgium, NATO’s military headquarters, once the final formalities for accreditation are completed.

Tanner: “Remarkable contribution”
Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner (ÖVP) explained: “Austria has always played a constructive role as an integral part of the European security architecture in cooperation within the framework of the Partnership for Peace and this should continue to be the case in the future. Austria has been working on operations to maintain peace and security as part of international crisis management for decades and makes a significant, above-average contribution in relation to its population.

The Romanian Minister of Defense comes to Vienna
Tanner also sees a positive sign of constructive cooperation in the upcoming bilateral visit of Romanian Defense Minister Angel Tîlvăr to Vienna at the end of February.

Although Austria is not a NATO member, it cooperates extensively with the alliance under the umbrella of the so-called “Partnership for Peace” (PfP). In Kosovo, for example, Austrians are participating in the NATO-led (and commissioned by the UN Security Council) KFOR mission.