The Austrian ambassador in Bucharest was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which considers Vienna’s unacceptable, unjustified and unfriendly attitude towards Romania’s accession to Schengen. This will have inevitable consequences for bilateral relations, says the press release of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Also, the ministry headed by Bohdan Auresku conveyed to the ambassador “a firm protest against the accusations made by the Austrian authorities regarding the so-called pressure on Austrian companies, statements that are unacceptable and that do not correspond to reality.”

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs declares that, having voted against Romania’s entry into Schengen, “Austria has singled itself out and isolated itself in the European Union.”

The reaction of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs after Austria blocked Romania’s accession to Schengen:

• The Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly rejects as completely unacceptable Austria’s position regarding the negative vote for the Decision on the accession of Romania to the Schengen area today, December 8, 2022, within the framework of the Council of Justice and Home Affairs (JAI). Austria has singled itself out and isolated itself in the European Union. MAE considers this result to be completely unfair and devoid of any objective motivation, especially given that Romania has acted openly and transparently in its relations with all European partners, including Austria, and Degree of preparation our country’s readiness to apply the provisions of the Schengen acquis has been repeatedly confirmed by EU and member state experts, the last time during two assessment missions that took place in October and November 2022.
• Unfortunately, Austria has decided to ignore all these elements through the negative vote expressed today, which is in stark contrast to the favorable position expressed by other member states, and despite the intense political and diplomatic efforts made by the Austrian side at all levels, through which the Romanian side presented to the Ministry to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and other bodies of Austria, convincing, realistic and appropriate arguments both regarding the level of technical training and specific elements regarding the protection of the external border of the EU.
• Austria’s position is even more unacceptable because this position regarding the rejection of Romania was first expressed on November 18, 2022, while only two days before, on November 16, 2022, Austria expressed its full support for Romania’s accession formally and officially. at the meeting in Bucharest of the Salzburg Forum, through the Joint Declaration of the Ministers of the Interior adopted on this occasion, including Austria, a text that mentions “the support presented in this format for a positive decision related to the accession of Romania, Bulgaria and Croatia to December 2022”.
• The invocation by the Austrian side of the problem of the increase in the migration flow as a justification for opposing Romania’s accession to Schengen is unacceptable, incorrect and unfair, given that all the data officially provided by the Frontex agency to the EU clearly show that Romania is not on the Western Balkan migration route, does not face migration pressure and is not a source of secondary migration movements. On the contrary, Romania actively contributes to the management of the risks of illegal migration, and the exemplary way in which it has dealt with the flow of refugees as a result of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is further evidence in this regard, which is appreciated by all Europeans and Europeans. – Atlantic partners.
• The MAE regrets the undesirable consequences of Austria’s negative vote for European unity and cohesion. Especially in the current complex geostrategic context, marked by Russia’s war against Ukraine and Russia’s persistent attempts to break European unity, Austria’s behavior is an undesirable political signal about the EU’s ability to act in the direction of strengthening the European construct, especially in the conditions in which Romania has demonstrated its clear commitment to actively contribute consolidation of European actions and integration based on the principles of solidarity and unity.
• On the instructions of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Ambassador of the Republic of Austria in Bucharest was summoned this evening to the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to inform her of the position of Romania outlined above and the protest of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the unjustified and unfriendly position of Austria, which will have inevitable consequences for bilateral relations. The ambassador of Austria was informed that the negative vote of Vienna is even more unexpected in the context of the existence of long diplomatic relations with more than 100 years of tradition between our countries, as well as significant bilateral cooperation, especially in the economic sphere – Austria is one of the most important economic partners of Romania and the second foreign an investor on the Romanian market. Likewise, Romanian-Austrian cooperation at the regional and European levels, as well as close coordination in matters of common interest at the international level, had significant weight in Austria’s vote. The ambassador was also sent a strong protest against the accusations made by the Austrian authorities regarding the so-called pressure on Austrian companies, statements which are unacceptable and untrue.
• In the future, MAE will continue to be fully active, together with the Ministry of Interior and other involved institutions of Romania, to achieve the goal of Romania’s accession to the Schengen area, as an important part of strengthening the country’s internal security. The European Union as a whole.
• The MAE recalls the fact that during this period the Romanian side acted firmly, through concrete and comprehensive steps, successfully managing to remove the objections of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Sweden. In this context, it should be emphasized that the Dutch vote in the JAI Council on 8 December was not against Romania, as was clearly stated by the Dutch side during the meeting.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses special gratitude for the support that Romania received from the Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU, the European Commission and the European Parliament, all European partners, as well as cooperation partners from our country, who supported Romania’s approach.