Austria announced on Monday that it is giving up its opposition to the full accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen area, the last obstacle for the two Eastern European countries after a long wait.
„We can move on to the next step at the EU Council (Justice and Home Affairs),” said Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner, quoted in a statement from his ministry, as reported by AFP and Reuters.
The JHA Council meeting will take place in Brussels this week, on December 12 and 13.
"After 'air Schengen,' 'land Schengen' is now open to Romania and Bulgaria," Karner stated, adding that Austria's requests regarding combating illegal immigration have led to a decrease in the number of migrants intercepted near the Austrian border with Hungary, the most common entry route into the country.
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"Without this veto, this massive reduction in illegal border crossings would not have taken place," he said, citing 70,000 interceptions last year until October and 4,000 in the same period this year.
"We will not use our veto right," a spokesperson for the Vienna Interior Ministry told AFP.
Austria, resistant in 2022 when it used its veto right to block the expansion, finally accepted a partial accession of Bulgaria and Romania in March, limited to airports and seaports.
According to an agreement presented in November in Hungary, which holds the presidency of the Council of the European Union until the end of the year, temporary controls will be carried out "for an initial period of six months, to minimize the potential shift in migration routes that could result" from this extension of the Schengen area.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the EU Council, also announced on this occasion that EU interior ministers will vote on December 12 on Hungary's proposal to allow Romania and Bulgaria to join the Schengen area, including their land borders.