Greek Migration and Asylum Minister Notis Mitarakis was received in Vienna on Thursday by Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehhammer after meeting with Interior Minister Gerhard Karner on Wednesday.

According to the press release published on this occasion, Greece takes the initiative to support the request of Bulgaria and Romania to join the Schengen zone, writes Naftemporiki, citing Rador.

This expansion will also have direct benefits for Greece, as the country will be connected by roads within the Schengen area to the rest of the European Union member states. For this initiative, Greece maintains contacts with Sweden, which presides over the EU, and the European Commission.

Bulgaria and Romania joined the European Union in 2005, and in 2011 they successfully completed the evaluation procedures for their accession to the Schengen area, as confirmed by the conclusions of the Council of Ministers of the Interior on 9 June 2011.

Since then, the European Commission has repeatedly expressed the opinion that the two countries are ready to join the Schengen zone without internal border controls.

In 2022, at the initiative of Bulgaria and Romania, a new EU field mission was carried out, which confirmed that the two countries continue to effectively meet the strict Schengen standards and have an exemplary track record in fulfilling their applications.

This topic, as well as Croatia’s full integration into the Schengen area, was discussed at the Council of Ministers of the Interior on December 8, 2022. But while the request of Croatia was accepted unanimously, the requests of Bulgaria and Romania were not accepted due to the objections of two countries (Austria and the Netherlands).

The vast majority of member states expressed their support for the two countries, stressing that their entry would strengthen the credibility and security of the Union.

Greece supports the accession of Bulgaria and Romania, as it will help to stimulate the country’s economic activity through the land connection with the Schengen area and strengthen the security of the EU’s external borders.

In this regard, Notis Mitarakis stated:

“Greece takes the initiative to support the request of Bulgaria and Romania to join the Schengen zone. This expansion will also have direct benefits for Greece, as it will be connected by roads to the rest of the European Union member states. I met here in Vienna with the Chancellor of Austria, Mr. Karl Nehhammer, and the Minister of the Interior, Mr. Gerhard Karner, and next week I will visit Sofia and Bucharest.

There are problems that need to be solved, especially problems related to migration, the protection of our external borders, a subject that requires a more coordinated, but also tougher European policy. Regarding this initiative, we are in contact with the Swedish presidency and the European Commission,” Greeks from Naftemporiki (Rador.) note.

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