Austria drops its veto against Schengen expansion. In concrete terms, this means that ÖVP Minister of the Interior Gerhard Karner wants to agree to the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to Schengen during the EU Ministerial Council of the Interior in Brussels on Thursday.
“We will not stand in the way,” the Ministry of the Interior said. “After ‘Schengen Air’, a ‘Schengen Country’ is also open to Romania and Bulgaria,” Karner said in a broadcast on Monday evening.
Green light for Schengen accession
The EU interior ministers are therefore likely to give the green light in Brussels on Thursday for the expansion of Schengen to Romania and Bulgaria, which Austria had blocked since 2022 due to illegal migration. The EU ambassadors have already prepared a decision to admit both countries.
Accordingly, land border controls with Bulgaria and Romania may be lifted from 1 January 2025. The two countries have been members of ‘Air Schengen’ since March, which means there are no longer controls at the air or sea borders.
The interior ministers of Austria, Romania and Bulgaria, as well as the current country of the EU presidency, Hungary, reached an agreement last Friday in Budapest on a new border protection package to set the course for the two Balkan countries to reach 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.
