Romanian authorities have blocked the participation of Austria in NATO meetings, the Austrian newspaper Kurier has said.
The same indicates that the recent decision is a “clear revenge” for Austria’s veto on Romania’s membership to the EU’s Schengen Zone.
According to Austria’s Foreign Ministry, Romania called for more time before endorsing the accreditation of its country’s liaison officers at NATO. The liaison of non-NATO states, such as Austria, needs endorsement from each of the NATO member states before being accredited.
Based on the Kurier article, a NATO spokesman said, “we count on Romania and Austria to resolve any bilateral issue that may affect the activity of Austrian officers in NATO posts.”
Previously, SchengenVisaInfo.com reported that a draft law is being taken by the Parliament of Romania, which, if approved, would oblige the country’s Ministry of Internal Affairs to vote against the interests of the states that not want the accession of Romania in the borderless area of Schengen, in the Justice and Home Affairs Council.
The target of this proposal is Austria as well as the Netherlands as a result of their veto in December last year, which blocked Romania’s accession to the Schengen Zone.
According to local media reports, the initiative signed by two non-affiliated parliamentarians also aims to oblige the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to open action at the Justice of the EU if the JAI Council, as a result of the veto vote expressed by Austria as well as the Netherlands, either adopts or fails to adopt decisions related to the full implementation of the EU acquis in Romania.
The draft law with the number PLX 474/2023 is called “legislative proposal to supplement Law no. 373/2013, regarding the collaboration between the Parliament and the Government in the field of foreign affairs”.
The initiators of such a proposal are deputies Bogdan Alexandru Bola and Alexandru Kocsis Cristea. It was submitted to the Romanian Parliament on August 24, and it is open for public consultation until next month, or more specifically, October 5.
Romania has been waiting to become part of the Schengen Area for more than ten years, yet the process has still not been completed. The European Commission previously assessed that the Balkan country is ready to join Schengen, while the European Parliament has continuously supported their accession recently in a resolution on October 5, last year and a debate on December 14.
