Austria gives up its right to veto and opens the way for Bulgaria and Romania to Schengen

Bulgaria and Romania will become full Schengen members in the spring of 2025.

Things seem to have been concluded in Brussels and Vienna: Austria gives up its right to veto and opens a path for both countries, reports the Austrian edition “Kurier”.

For some, the refusal to expand the Schengen area was a necessary step to protect Austria, for others – a political move to score points before the national elections.

In any case, the Schengen restrictions in Romania and Bulgaria did not make Austria friends internationally. Even high-ranking European Christian Democrats, that is, party allies of the Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP), openly expressed their dissatisfaction with Austria’s position on this matter.

Within the framework of a meeting that will be held in Budapest on November 22, where Hungary has been invited as EU president, Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner will meet his colleagues from Sofia and Bucharest. Within the framework of this meeting, a package of measures will be adopted that the two countries must fulfill in order to finally become members of Schengen. This is expected to happen in the Spring of 2025. At least this is the opinion of high-ranking representatives of the Romanian government.