​Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg, a member of the ÖVP, the party of Chancellor Karl Nehhammer, defends Austria’s refusal to admit Romania and Bulgaria to Schengen, suggesting that his country was forced to do so in order to be heard in Brussels: “We are not a country that blocks and vetoes. It is rather a cry for help,” the Austrian newspaper “Kronen Zeitung” wrote on Saturday. The publication also talks about the tension in the ruling coalition in Vienna, generated by the JAI vote.

Four days ago, efforts were still being made to gloss over deep divisions within the ruling coalition in Vienna. Now this is the end. The veto against the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen zone put the coalition in a difficult situation. The Greens are very angry with the ÖVP and demand a rethinking of this issue, writes the Austrian daily “Kronen Zeitung” on Saturday. The Greens are the minority partners of the conservative ÖVP in the coalition government in Vienna.

Tensions in the Vienna coalition. “Carner put on a steel helmet and vetoed”

“Although Vice Chancellor Werner Koegler (Greens representative – no) and Greens leader Sigi Maurer remained silent on Friday, they instead sent Justice Minister Alma Zadik to express their displeasure. In Brussels, she emphasized that her party does not support the veto,” writes Kronen Zeitung, News.ro reports.

According to the newspaper, even before the decisive meeting of the JAI Council on Thursday, Vice Chancellor Kogler tried to convince Interior Minister Gerhard Karner, who belongs to the ÖVP, to find compromise solutions. “However, unsuccessfully. Karner put on a steel helmet and went ahead with the veto,” writes “Kronen Zeitung”.

The Greens tried to remove any responsibility for this vote with various “reasoned screwdrivers”. On Twitter, Michel Raymont, one of the voices of the Greens, explained that each minister was free in his decisions when he voted in Brussels. Therefore, the Greens had no influence on Carner. Raymon also expressed hope that this decision can be corrected within the framework of another coalition. However, he later emphasized that this is not a reason for the collapse of the coalition and the appointment of new elections.

In addition, the ÖVP received a severe slap from the federal president Alexander Van der Bellen (who also comes from the ranks of the Greens – no). The head of state noted that he “extremely regrets” Austria’s behavior in the JAI Council. He admitted that Austria is in a difficult situation due to the influx of immigrants. “But I unfortunately have to admit that I do not see the connection between this problem and the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to Schengen,” said Van der Bellen, quoted by Kronen Zeitung.

“Necessary veto”

In the Ministry of Internal Affairs, but also in the office of the Federal Chancellor, they are trying to harden their spirits. “Unfortunately, such methods had to be resorted to in order to be heard in Brussels,” the office excuses itself. In addition, conservatives do not understand why so much is being done, because the Netherlands also voted against accepting Bulgaria, “Kronen Zeitung” also writes.

Also, according to the same publication, Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg (ÖVP) defended Austria’s refusal to allow Romania and Bulgaria to join Schengen, suggesting that Vienna had to resort to it in order to be heard in Brussels.

• “We are not a state that blocks and imposes a veto. It is rather a cry for help,” the head of the Austrian Foreign Ministry emphasized.

Romania’s reaction is too “emotional”

Austria did not block Romania and Bulgaria from joining Schengen, it just “didn’t want to do it now,” Schallenberg said in an interview with the Puls24 TV channel on Friday. In fact, the foreign minister claims, Austria wanted to remove the subject of Schengen from the agenda of the JAI Council and talk about it again six months later.

However, he denied that the veto was related to local elections in Lower Austria, where his party lost ground to the far right, which has radicalized its stance on immigration.

At the same time, he criticized the reaction of Romania, which he considers too “emotional”, after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania recalled Austrian Ambassador Emil Khureziana to the country for consultations.

We will remind you that Romania, which waited 11 years to join Schengen, this time did not enter the European free movement zone, although it had the support of 26 EU countries. Austria managed to block a favorable decision in the JAI Council on Thursday, as Schengen entry requires unanimity. It was joined by the Netherlands on the condition that they oppose the accession of Bulgaria, and the vote was cast “together with Romania”.