New conditions for the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the Schengen Zone, in terms of land borders, are unacceptable and must be rejected, Austrian economist and politician Gunther Fehlinger has said for SchengenVisaInfo.
Bulgaria and Romania are now part of the Schengen Zone by air and sea. However, controls at land borders remain effective.
The membership of these two countries has been blocked by Austria, which mentions irregular migration concerns as the main reason that led this country to continue to oppose the further enlargement of the Schengen Zone and the accession of these two countries to the Schengen Area in December 2022.
In January this year, Austria’s Interior Minister, Gerhard Karner, said that it is not about Bulgaria and Romania, stressing that the entire migration system is in a catastrophic situation. However, Fehlinger shares a different opinion on this issue.
Furthermore, Fehlinger told SchengenVisaInfo that the accession of these two Balkan countries to the Schengen zone must be finalised on May 1, 2024.
Bulgaria and Romania are ready for Schengen and must be accepted fully, including land borders, on May 1, 2024, the Day we celebrate EU Enlargement, 20 years of 10 new countries joining EU 2004 and before the EU elections.
Austrian politicians said the European Commission has certified Bulgaria and Romania as ready for Schengen, emphasizing that any more conditions are unacceptable and must be rejected. He added that both countries are doing their best to fulfill all the requirements and keep the borders safe.
Fehlinger believes that only full Schengen accession can smooth the Romanian public ahead of the crucial election in Romania in June this year.
He believes that these two countries should become part of the Schengen Area on May 1, 2024, considering that everything else would be a major defeat of the European idea and project that, according to him, serves only the enemies of Europe.
“Austria must lift this veto now, and Romania and Bulgaria must join Schengen fully on that important 1. May 2024 to mark European Unity and the success of an enlarged EU. Those who oppose this Schengen enlargement serve our enemies. This is unacceptable and must be ended now. Austrian economist and politician.
In spite of not supporting land border enlargement of the Schengen Area, Austria’s Air Schengen Proposal granted Bulgaria and Romania accession to the EU’s borderless area by by air and sea.
