MEP Botos calls on Austria’s chancellor to stop opposing Romania’s accession to Schengen area
Romanian MEP Vlad Botos of the Renew group on Monday called on Austria’s Chancellor Karl Nehammer not to oppose Romania’s accession to the Schengen area.
„We find ourselves in the incredible situation where the European Parliament recommends accession, the European Commission finds that all the criteria are met and recommends accession and, moreover, all the member states, with one exception, agree with that, so we could say that the Council is, in its vast majority, in agreement. But we cannot get the agreement between the three institutions,” Botos said in a speech to a plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
The accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the border-free Schengen area features on the provisional agenda of the meeting of the EU ministers of justice and home affairs scheduled for early December in Brussels.
The Justice and Home Affairs Council (JHA) meeting is scheduled for December 4 and 5, and according to the provisional agenda, there will be an exchange of opinions on the general situation of the Schengen area and a possible vote on the accession of Romania and Bulgaria.
A year ago, also at a JHA Council meeting, Austria opposed the accession of the two countries to the Schengen area, and in the case of Bulgaria, the opposition also came from the Netherlands.