Austria will support Romania and Bulgaria joining the Schengen Zone only after changes are applied to the European Union migration policy, Karoline Edtstadler, Austria’s Minister for European Affairs, has declared.
„We want to continue discussing the Schengen expansion, in coordination with partners in Bulgaria and Romania, so that we can put it back on the agenda after the necessary steps are taken regarding migration and asylum policy”, Edtstadler told Austrian radio ORF.
She stressed that Austria’s government expects further progress to be made in this regard from January, when the presidency of the European Union Council will be taken over Sweden, considering Sweden a country that has experience when it comes to migration. According to Edtstadler, the decision regarding Schengen Zone growth will not be delayed until the whole asylum reform at EU level is adopted, after which the process will take a certain amount of time.
„We have to take these steps step by step and establish a plan, and then we can talk about expanding Schengen to include Bulgaria and Romania”, she stated.
Authorities in Austria believe that a pilot project for accelerated management of asylum procedures at the EU’s external borders, money for all states located at these borders as well as the opportunity to request asylum in safe third countries should also be included in the new changes to the European Union policy for migrants.
Recently, the European Union Member States unanimously supported Croatia’s joining the Schengen Zone, which will officially take place on January 1, 2023, but Austria had a different opinion when it came to Romania and Bulgaria.
Despite the fact that Austria’s decision was criticized, Austria’s Federal Chancellor, Karl Nehammer, stated that he stands behind Austria’s decision.
According to a report provided by Deutsche Welle, Austria said that there would be no Schengen Area extension so long as the EU’s external borders are not effectively protected.
Romania loses 10 billion Euros by not being in Schengen Zone
