Austria’s Interior Minister Gerhard Karner reiterated the country’s unchanged position against the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen area.
Arguing that the Schengen area should become “better, not bigger”, Karner recalled that Vienna’s position on the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to Schengen remains unchanged.
His comment came during the meeting of EU interior ministers on December 5, when the vote on the accession of these two countries was not on the agenda, writes SchengenVisaInfo.com.
During the meeting, Carner again called for a robust defense of the external borders.
“Freedom of travel in Europe is currently not possible because for security reasons more member states control their borders more than ever before – including Austria. The only solution is a robust and working external border protection.
We need to make Schengen better, not bigger,” Karner said.
The Interior Minister of Romania: There is time for the Netherlands to remove the veto on Bulgaria’s accession to Schengen
Carner considers the number of border checks imposed by European countries to be reason enough to prevent further expansion of the visa-free travel zone, which currently consists of 27 countries.
The accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen area is among the main priorities of Spain, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the EU Council, with Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande Marlasca expressing confidence that the issue will be finalized by the end of this year.
However, the membership of these two countries was also blocked in December last year by Austria, citing concerns about illegal migration. Citing the same reasons, in addition to Austria, the Netherlands also opposed Sofia’s accession.
Both Austria and the Netherlands have often emphasized that their position on this matter remains unchanged, although both Romania and Bulgaria have fulfilled all the necessary requirements.
During the meeting held on December 5, the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union reported on the state of negotiations on the Asylum and Migration Pact.
After the relevant decision of the EU ministers, the pact must be finalized between the European Parliament, the Presidency of the Council and the European Commission. Negotiations on the issue will continue on December 7, writes Blitz.
“It is important that the pact is concluded quickly. But it is even more important that there is a good and orderly outcome. We need to prevent people from making their way to Europe. The key to this is securing the continent instead of ‘sea rescue,'” Carner said.
The temporary reintroduction of border controls at internal borders is permitted by Member States on the basis of the Schengen Borders Code, however, it should be applied as a last resort in exceptional situations and the principle of proportionality should be respected.
Figures from the European Union’s Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) reveal that a total of 331,600 attempts to illegally cross the EU’s external borders were registered in the first ten months of this year, an 18% increase compared to figures for the same period last year.
2023-12-08 13:23:49
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