Austria continues to feel again the strong official pressure of the European Commission regarding Romania's accession to Schengen, Karl Nehammer opposing with all his might, but a new announcement from Brussels itself shows us that there is still very serious support for the country for us to be part of this very important system.
Austria refuses to allow Romania's accession to Schengen, in tandem with that of Bulgaria, even though, at least in the case of our country, the Government of Romania has fulfilled all the criteria for accession since 2011, and access to the space without internal border controls is one of the measures that must be taken as part of the accession to the European Union.
Austria refused in December 2022 to allow us to join Schengen, using an alliance with the Netherlands to block Bulgaria's accession as well, but the European Commission wants to force both countries to give up their current positions, and to allow Romania to join Schengen without any additional conditions, although Karl Nehammer has a completely different salary at the present time.
"Bulgaria and Romania are both ready to fully join the Schengen area. And they meet these criteria since 2011. Moreover, Bulgaria and Romania have acted as essential actors for a continuous development of the Schengen rule.
The position of the European Commission is clear and when it comes to both Romania and Bulgaria, when it comes to union, they are fully prepared to do so. According to the treaty, the member states of the European Union must also become, when they are ready, full-fledged members of the Schengen area. We are working closely with the Presidency of the Council so that a decision can be made as soon as possible."
