site.btaAustrian Interior Minister Ready to Loosen Veto against Bulgarian, Romanian Entry into Schengen

Austrian media report that the Austrian Minister of the Interior Gerhard Karner is ready to loosen the veto on the enlargement of the Schengen area to Bulgaria and Romania. The announcement, published in Sunday's edition of the Kurier, in Saturday night's electronic edition of the Kleine Zeitung, and cited by the Austria Press Agency (APA), said that according to reports received from government circles, the borders could be abolished, at least for air traffic. Land borders will retain their current status, with Bulgaria and Romania not being members of Schengen. A spokesperson for Karner confirmed this information in response to an APA query, the daily Salzburger Nachrichten electronic edition reported on Saturday night.

One of the conditions for loosening the veto will be stricter border controls, the reports said. Karner will travel to Slovenia on Monday to discuss with Bulgarian and Romania the conditions that must be met for Austria to agree to a so-called "air Schengen." The consultations are due to take place on Tuesday at the Salzburg Forum in Brdo Castle near Kranj, Slovenia.

Kurier cites the following conditions proposed by Austria: a threefold increase of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) mission in Bulgaria, with the funds for the border protection infrastructure to be provided by the European Commission; increased border controls between Bulgaria and Romania and between Romania and Hungary; the deployment of Austrian advisors on document-related issues to work with the teams at the airports in Bucharest and Sofia; the reception of asylum seekers, in particular Afghans and Syrians, from Romania and Bulgaria.

On Saturday night, the electronic edition of the Kronen Zeitung also reported on Karner's plan. The plan would not be problematic from a legal standpoint, said Walter Obwexer, legal scholar at the University of Innsbruck. Increasing the size of Frontex is already a fait accompli. Taking in asylum seekers is compatible with EU law - and the Schengen Borders Code allows for the gradual abolition of checks on persons at internal borders, including at airports.

Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu posted on Facebook shortly before midnight on Saturday: "We broke the ice! Austria has softened its position on the Schengen area and agreed to abolish air borders for Romania. This means that Romanians will no longer have to stand in long queues when flying within the EU. We have worked hard in recent months to get to this point, and I am grateful to all those who have fought for Romania. [Romanian Minister of Internal Affairs Catalin] Predoiu has a mandate to meet with the Austrian Interior Minister and bring the negotiations to a successful conclusion. After years of waiting, we will achieve this dream together! Romania deserves to be in Schengen!"