site.btaAustrian Commissioner-Designate Brunner Sees Progress on Bulgaria and Romania's Full Membership of Schengen in Recent Weeks

Magnus Brunner, the Austrian Commissioner-designate for Internal Affairs and Migration, Tuesday said Bulgaria and Romania had made progress towards full membership of Schengen in recent weeks. Work towards lifting land border controls on Bulgaria and Romania will continue so that Schengen can be completed, Brunner told the European Parliament's Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) during his confirmation hearing.

Answering a question by Bulgarian MEP Emil Radev (EPP/GERB), Brunner said: "In the past couple of weeks we have seen some very fruitful talks, a lot has happened. I would commend Romania and Bulgaria on the progress that has been made in the last weeks. So we are going (...) to continue the process and I will continue to fight for the full Schengen to be completed."

Austria benefits from EU enlargement, it is necessary to improve the pathways for legal migration, the Austrian Commissioner-designate noted. He said draft legislation  on the return of migrants who have arrived in the EU illegally or who have no grounds to stay should be prepared quickly.