Austria is harshly criticized in Europe because of the refusal to allow Romania to join Schengen, and after we have seen enough European officials doing it today, now it is the turn of one close to the Austrians, namely the Czech Foreign Minister, Jan Lipavský, who criticizes the decision to prevent the extension of the Schengen Area at the end of 2022.
Austria is criticized by Jan Lipavský, who says that until a short time before the veto in the JAI Council, the government in Vienna made it clear that it would not oppose Romania's accession to the Schengen Area, something I have seen stated including by Romanian government officials, but the Austrians offered their own explanations for the change in decision.
Austria refuses to allow the expansion of the space without border controls, but the Czech minister is of the opinion that allowing Romania and Bulgaria to join the Schengen Area would bring more security for the whole of Europe, something I have seen said even by other countries, but for now this it seems quite likely, at least in the short term.
"Also, we made efforts to expand the Schengen area. Unfortunately, we managed to do this only in the case of Croatia, after Austria opposed Romania's accession at the last moment. From my point of view, the step came quite suddenly, Austria had previously sent completely different signals.
However, it is not my job to assess Austrian policy or the considerations that led to this decision. However, I believe that the Schengen accession of Romania and Bulgaria - or at least a realistic prospect of rapid accession - would even lead to greater security, to a better application of common rules in these countries."
