The interior ministers of Austria, Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary agreed on a new border protection package in Budapest on Friday to set the course for the two Balkan countries to join Schengen in January. Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (VP) spoke of a “further important step towards a decision” at the EU Council of Interior Ministers on December 12th.
Romanian Interior Minister Catalin Predoiu said Austria no longer exercised a veto. He is confident that Romania will be successful in joining Schengen by the end of the year.
EU Migration Commissioner Ylva Johansson, who also took part in the meeting in Budapest, emphasized once again that both countries had long since met the necessary criteria. This view is also shared by Austria’s former finance minister Magnus Brunner (VP), who will succeed Johansson as migration commissioner (probably as early as December).
Karner praised the efforts so far: In 2022 there were around 70,000 arrests on Austria’s eastern border, now there are only 3,000.
Karner’s move away from the veto was welcomed by the SPÖ, the Greens and Neos. The Chamber of Commerce also spoke of “good news”. Christoph Leitl, President of the European Movement Austria (EBÖ), called the impending end of the veto a “victory of reason” and a “sign of European unity”. Criticism, however, came from the FPÖ, which would like the veto to continue.
Source: Nachrichten
