​Manfred Weber, president of the European People’s Party and leader of the EPP group in the European Parliament, on Saturday sent a message of support for Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehhammer, who blocked Romania’s entry into Schengen. Just two days ago, Weber, together with the Romanian MEPs from the PNL (member of the EPP), said that the problem of illegal migration from Austria will not be solved if Romania is left outside the European free movement area.

• “The situation for Austria due to the uncontrolled flow of migrants is unacceptable.
• Carl Nehammer has our full support that this needs to change.
• Schengen law must be properly applied again at the EU’s external borders,” Manfred Weber tweeted on Saturday.

“We know that Russia wants to divide the European Union”

​On Wednesday, a day before the meeting of the EU Council on Romania’s accession to Schengen, the leaders of the EPP, the most powerful party in the European Parliament, held a series of high-level meetings with Austrian officials in Vienna and sent a message of support for our country.

The President of the European People’s Party, Manfred Weber, said that he met with Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehhammer and told him that there is no reason for Vienna to oppose Romania’s entry into Schengen.

• “This is the moment when we have to be honest: we understand Austria’s problems with illegal migrants, but so far Austria has not said anything about it.
• Nothing will be solved regarding migrants if we leave Romania outside the Schengen area. (…) In Austria, the situation is very special, because the Socialist Party opposes the extension of Schengen. We have to understand that this is a small country with 100 thousand migrants.
• I see and understand their frustration, but you cannot solve one frustration by creating another frustration by keeping Romania and Bulgaria out of the Schengen area,” Weber said after meeting with the Austrian chancellor.

He insisted that Romania and Bulgaria have made great efforts to meet the accession criteria and have been implementing Schengen rules for many years.

In addition, Weber noted that unity at the European level is necessary, since Russia is “interested in dividing the EU”:

• “We know that Russia wants to divide the European Union and the support we send to Ukraine, so we must do everything in our power to preserve our unity in the EU. It means helping each other.”

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”.

• Austria’s latest explanations regarding Romania’s withdrawal from Schengen: “We are not a blocking state. This is a cry for help” / How Vienna qualifies Bucharest’s reaction