Austria is strongly contradicted by a very important official announcement for Romania's accession to Schengen, and this is because it is proven, this time and with official information, that our country is not the main "gateway" for migrants to enter Europe, as Karl Nehammer stated in December, together with other representatives of his government in Vienna.
Austria blocked Romania's accession to Schengen saying that our country is a paradise for migration to its territory, but Frontex, the European Union agency that deals with border security, says that the Western Balkans are the main "gateway" for migrants to enter the EU , Bulgaria being, most likely, the main country through which they move every year towards the center of the EU.
Austria knows this, and strengthened its cooperation with Bulgaria right at the end of 2022, after blocking Romania's accession to Schengen, together with that of the Bulgarians, also requesting the granting of European funds for a fence to be built on the border of our neighboring country with Turkey , all to reduce the number of migrants arriving on its territory in the coming years.
"There are many indications that Bulgaria, in particular, which wants to become a member of the Schengen area, is a weak point. The government in Vienna points out that about half of the 100.000 illegal migrants who arrived in Austria, most of whom were previously unregistered, crossed the Turkish-Bulgarian border.
The origin of migrants registered on the Western Balkans route also suggests that the land border with Bulgaria is the main gateway to the European Union. Most (94.000) were Syrian; at around 3,5 million, they are the largest group of refugees in Turkey."
