Austria continues to oppose the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the Schengen area, according to the Federal Chancellery in Vienna.
The same declared that Vienna maintained its veto on this issue, emphasizing that it was not a question of party politics but of security policy. SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
The Federal Chancellery’s comments came when asked by Die Tageszeitun newspaper whether there was a change in attitude after the European Parliament asked the Council to approve the accession of these two Balkan states to the zone. visa free EU by the end of this year.
A press release issued on July 12 by the European Union Parliament revealed a new resolution emphasizing that both states have fulfilled all the necessary conditions to be part of Schengen. The resolution was supported by 526 deputies, while 57 opposed it.
He also pointed out that keeping the two states outside the borderless zone, socially and economically, results in harm to the people as well as businesses of these two states.
“Bulgarian and Romanian citizens face discrimination as they face delays, bureaucratic difficulties and additional costs when traveling or doing business abroad, compared to their Schengen area counterparts. » the resolution noted.
Earlier this month, European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevicius told the European Parliament that the European Commission and the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU were working to The accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the Schengen area must be completed by the end of this year.
He stressed that finalizing this process is among the main priorities of the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
Sinkevicius reiterated the Commission’s comments that the two countries had fulfilled all the necessary conditions since 2011.
The Spanish Ambassador to Romania, José Antonio Hernández Pérez-Solorzano, said that the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the Schengen area could be discussed at the Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) meeting, which will be held in October this year.
However, the Austrian Minister for European Affairs had previously stated that his country would support the accession of these two countries to the Schengen area. only after the changes have been applied to EU migration policy.
In December last year, Austrian and Dutch authorities opposed Bulgaria and Romania’s accession to the Schengen area, citing problems with illegal immigration.