Austria’s veto against Romania’s entry into the Schengen area continues to make waves: EU Parliament President Roberta Metsola stressed in Bucharest on Monday that there was “no justification whatsoever” for the objection. Romania’s entry into the border control free zone should eventually take place in 2023, which the EU parliament should also push for, she explained.
According to Metsola, the expansion of Schengen remains “essential”, especially as migration is a topic that boils over in Europe, especially during election campaigns. Critics accuse Chancellor Karl Nehammer and Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) of having exercised the right of veto because of state elections in Lower Austria at the end of January, where the People’s Party wants to defend its absolute majority.
Metsola was in Bucharest on Monday for her first-ever visit to Romania. She had drawn it up a few hours after Austria’s veto against the country’s entry into the Schengen area.
Iohannis: “Failure of the EU”
Romanian President Klaus Johannis made it clear during the joint press conference with Metsola that the “unity of the European Union” must not be jeopardized again under any circumstances. The EU cannot afford another such “failure”. When asked by journalists about the extraordinary EU summit on migration in February, Johannis explained that he did not expect anything from it in terms of Schengen expansion – on the one hand because it was “still too early”, on the other hand because the Schengen issue is not on the agenda.
After the meeting and press conference with the Romanian Head of State, the President of the European Parliament also met with Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca (Liberal Party/PNL) and the Speakers of the Parliament’s two chambers, Marcel Ciolacu (Socialists/PSD) and Alina Gorghiu (PNL). Her program also included a speech to the Romanian legislature.
Source: Krone
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