On December 9, Austria lifted its veto on the entry of Romania and Bulgaria into the visa-free Schengen zone.
Points of attention
- Bulgaria and Romania successfully passed all the necessary steps to join the Schengen area, reducing illegal migration by 80% and meeting the required criteria.
- The lifting of Austria's veto will enhance travel facilitation and reduce illegal border crossings, promoting overall security in the region.
- The decision on accession will be considered at the next EU Council meeting, following positive feedback from the permanent representatives of the European Council.
- The quadrilateral meeting of interior ministers highlighted that Romania and Bulgaria's entry into the Schengen zone could significantly decrease illegal migration towards Austria.
- Evidence suggests that Austria's demands to combat illegal migration have led to a considerable decrease in the number of intercepted migrants near its borders, emphasizing the importance of this decision.
Bulgaria and Romania will be able to join the Schengen area
This news was reported in the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Austria.
We can take the next step at the EU Council (on Justice and Home Affairs — ed.), Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said in a statement released by his ministry.
Romania and Bulgaria, members of the EU and NATO, partially joined Schengen in March, following a deal with Austria, which initially opposed their entry on the grounds that it needed to do more to prevent illegal immigration.
Although air and sea border checks between them and the other 27 countries in the travel zone have been lifted, negotiations with Austria over land entry are ongoing.
After the "Schengen air", the "Schengen land" is now open to Romania and Bulgaria, Karner said, adding that Austria's demands to fight illegal migration had led to a decrease in the number of migrants intercepted near Austria's border with Hungary — the most "popular" route to the country
Without this veto, such a significant reduction in the number of illegal border crossings would not have happened, he said.
As evidence, Carner cited a figure of 70,000 interceptions in the year to October 2023 and 4,000 in the same period this year.
The Eurocouncil may abolish controls on the land borders of Romania and Bulgaria
On November 22, an informal quadrilateral meeting of the interior ministers of Hungary, Austria, Bulgaria and Romania took place in Budapest, with the participation of the European Commissioner for the Interior, Jlva Johansson.
The participants of the meeting stated that Romania and Bulgaria fulfilled all the criteria for entering the Schengen zone and were able to reduce the flow of illegal migration to the EU, in particular towards Austria, by 80 percent during the year.
Subsequently, the permanent representatives of the EU at the level of ambassadors gave the "green light" for the approval of this decision at the next meeting of the Council of Ministers of the EU.
