Interior Minister Lucian Bode met today with his Austrian counterpart, Gerhard Karner, Federal Minister of the Interior of Austria, discussing Romania’s accession to the Schengen area, respectively, the solution to migration problems.

After Karner complained about the particular migration pressure Austria is facing – some 100,000 asylum seekers this year alone – Bode claims to have provided the Austrian minister with updated data and statistics on how Romania continues to protect its external borders in the context of migration flows . on the Western Balkan route, as well as the manner in which Romania complies with its obligations to register persons who have illegally entered or are seeking asylum in Romania.

According to data from European agencies, in the first 8 months of this year, a total of 128,438 migrants were registered on the Western Balkans route, and of these, 3,574 migrants were registered in Romania as coming from Serbia, which is approximately 2.7% of the total number of migrants who managed to get to the EU through Romania.

“This is a very strong argument that clearly shows that Romania is not on the migration path of the Western Balkans. In addition, the seriousness, professionalism and level of equipment of the Romanian authorities were clearly positively reflected in the reports compiled by the European Commission after the evaluation visits carried out recently in our country. In addition, the very good level of training revealed in the latest evaluations made after 11 years shows the constant efforts we are making, including from the point of view of investments,” Bode wrote on his Facebook page.

Bode claims that Gerhard Karner repeatedly assured him that the latest statements on the subject of Schengen are not aimed at Romania, but emphasize the need for urgent action to manage the migration problems affecting Austria.

Romania’s accession to Schengen may be delayed for “a month or two”

Romania may wait another month or two to join Schengen. Even President Klaus Iohannis is talking about it, saying that it is “not useful” for our country to force a vote in the JAI Council from December, unless everyone is convinced that Romania is not a vulnerable place.

The head of state’s statements come in the context of the fact that the Netherlands, Sweden and Austria have already raised objections to Romania’s accession to Schengen at the JAI Council on December 8. To get the green light, the vote must be unanimous.

• Romania’s real chances to join Schengen: the latest negotiations with the Netherlands, Sweden and Austria and the main stake at the moment