site.btaRomanian MEP: Austria Will No Longer Be Able to Use Migration as Argument to Block Bulgaria and Romania for Schengen

Austria will no longer be able to use the migration problem as a pretext to block Bulgaria and Romania from Schengen, Romanian MEP Siegfried Muresan said in a BTA interview in Strasbourg. "Austria has been given the portfolio of Commissioner for Migration and Home Affairs, so it has the tool it needs to solve migration problems. The solution to this problem will depend on their own commissioner," Mureşan said. 

Siegfried Mureşan is Vice-President of the European People's Party (EPP), Vice-Chair of the European People's Party Group in the European Parliament and a member of the National Liberal Party (NLP).  At the beginning of September 2024, he was appointed by the political groups in the European Parliament as chief negotiator for the forthcoming multiannual budget of the European Union. This budget, which is adopted every seven years, totals approximately EUR 1.3 trillion and serves as the main source of European grants and agricultural subsidies for Member States.

Following is the full interview:

Mr Muresan, on Tuesday (September 17) Romanian Commissioner-designate Roxana Munzatu was offered the portfolio of Labour Market and Social Rights. This portfolio will manage one-fifth of the EUR 235 billion EU budget. How does that sound to you?

It would have been more useful to have a portfolio with more specific attributions in the important areas for Romania. We, as a country, have a competitive advantage, both in the area of defence and enlargement policy. We are the only country that borders three candidate countries for the European Union: Serbia, Ukraine and Moldova. Our portfolio sounds good, but it is a portfolio without specific and clear obligations.

The floods that have hit Romania and other parts of Europe have left people without a roof over their heads, destroyed roads and compromised the work of farmers. The damage must be compensated. How, when and by how much?

People and local authorities in these countries need to know that the costs of shelter, of food, of rebuilding the infrastructure for electricity, telecommunications, roads, all of this, will be partly supported by the European Union Solidarity Fund. And we, the European Parliament, will make sure that this money comes and all arrangements are made the soonest possible. The amounts that will be allocated will depend on the level of damage.

Talking about money and allocation of funds, increasing defence spending is a new priority for the EU. How much should be given under this heading? Some experts fear that more money for defence means less money in other sectors. 

Defence will certainly be a priority in the future budget of the European Union. But regardless of how much more money we agree to spend, it is also important to implement a common procurement mechanism and a mechanism through which we can jointly invest in research, in innovation in the defence field. We will do better if we have one defence market than 27 different markets with 27 different models of military and defence equipment.

Bulgaria and Romania in Schengen. When?

Bulgaria and Romania have been preparing to join since 2011. This was recently confirmed by independent EU monitoring missions. This year we joined by air and water and I believe we will soon join by land.

Austria has been given the EC portfolio of Migration and Home Affairs, so it has the tool it needs to solve migration problems. In this way, the Austrians will no longer be able to use the migration issue as a pretext to block Romania and Bulgaria from joining Schengen for a long time, because the solution to this problem will depend on their own Commissioner.

At the beginning of the week, Germany introduced controls at all its borders, citing the high number of migrants entering illegally and an overburdened asylum system. Is this the end of Schengen? Does Germany's new border control threaten the unity of the European Union?

I do not agree with these controls. The Schengen legislation of the European Union explains very clearly what the conditions are for the temporary reintroduction of controls, and I do not think they are applicable to Germany. I think this is just an electoral measure by the German Chancellor, who feels that he is descending further and further in the opinion polls. So I see it more as an isolated, campaign stunt, but I do not think it threatens the unity of the European Union.