Gerhard Karner did not give Romania hope for a quick lifting of the blockade regarding the country’s accession to Schengen. During a meeting with his colleague Lucian Bode in Bucharest, he rejected the Romanian government’s request to create a calendar. The latter, however, saw a thaw in relations that had cooled four and a half months ago, writes the Austrian press, citing the material of the national press agency APA.

Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (a member of the conservative ÖVP party) during his visit to Bucharest on Wednesday did not give Romania hope of ending the blocking of the country’s entry into Schengen too quickly, Austrian media reported. writes, quoted by News.ro.

The system of the Schengen zone without border control does not work well, the Minister of Internal Affairs noted. “At this point, we’re still a long way from a working system,” Carner said. Germany recognizes this when it extends border controls to Austria, as it did three weeks ago, Karner said, referring to the neighboring country, which is pushing for Romania and Bulgaria to join Schengen.

“I am not fighting with Romania or the Romanian Interior Minister Lucian Bode, but we are fighting together to make the system work,” he stressed. Together, Karner says, they want to put pressure on the European Commission to make external border management stronger and more reliable. However, he did not want to name the end date of blocking the extension of Schengen.

Despite the lack of commitments, the Minister of Internal Affairs of Romania refrained from criticism in front of journalists. According to Bode, Karner’s visit to Romania thawed bilateral relations, which had cooled at the end of last year. He expressed hope that in the end Karner’s visit will contribute to “unblocking the Schengen accession procedure”.

Karner: “It’s not my job to play a teacher”

Karner did not say what exactly Romania needs to do to achieve this. “It’s not my job to play the role of a higher teacher,” he told reporters traveling with him. Romania is doing a lot, Karner acknowledged, and praised bilateral cooperation in the fight against human traffickers. The whole system is not working, explained the minister, referring to the need for action by the European Commission.

During the meeting, Karner and Bode signed an action plan to combat illegal migration. It was agreed that Austrian police officers, who are on mission in Hungary on the border with Romania and Serbia, could in the future carry out joint patrols in the area of ​​the Romanian checkpoint Nedlac.

Carner’s veto of Romania’s accession to Schengen four and a half months ago caused great anger in Bucharest. Therefore, the Romanian press was very interested in Karner’s visit. A few hours before Carner’s visit, numerous television crews were waiting in front of the Romanian Ministry of Internal Affairs. The protester vented his anger about the blockade in the background, all the while shouting: “Romania Schengen!”, according to the Austrian press agency.

In Romania, expectations for Karner’s visit were low. At best, the visit will mean a “slight thaw” in terms of the willingness of both sides to engage in dialogue. After three regional elections in Austria, the authorities in Vienna may choose a somewhat “softer” tone in the dialogue with Bucharest, but there are still no signs that they want to change their opinion about Schengen, Romanian media reported, citing government sources.

Austria remains immune to EU pressure

After the meeting of the two interior ministers on Wednesday, a joint visit to the General Inspectorate of the Border Police in Bucharest was planned.

It was the first bilateral meeting between the two interior ministers since Austria’s Schengen veto, which caused much outrage in Romania. In protest, the government temporarily recalled the Romanian ambassador from Vienna. The Austrian government was accused of changing the situation at the last second and, in addition, of operating with false data, APA reminds.

Romania, like Bulgaria and Croatia, was certified last year by the European Commission as Schengen-ready after years of preparation. However, the planned accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the border-free Schengen zone at the beginning of the year failed in December due to opposition from Austria. The Netherlands also had reservations about accepting Bulgaria.

This veto leaves Austria largely isolated in the EU. In recent weeks, numerous EU countries have tried to persuade the federal government to change its position. Most recently, last week, Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlasca, whose country will hold the EU presidency on July 1, visited Vienna, APA notes. in an article picked up by major Austrian publications. The majority titled that the Minister of the Interior Karner softened the hopes of Bucharest on the calendar of accession to the space without borders.

Read on this topic:

• VIDEO Austria’s Interior Minister does not give up even after a visit to Bucharest: “You have made progress, but we have to tell you that there is still a long way to go” to join Schengen / Bode: It is unnatural for Romania to ensure only its obligations
• Arriving in Bucharest, the Minister of the Interior of Austria remains in the same position: I cannot tell you the date of accession to Schengen. The room is not functional
• The first visit to Bucharest by the Minister of Internal Affairs from Vienna, who blocked Romania’s entry into Schengen / What are the expectations
• “Smugglers say it’s easier than ever to get into Europe.” The step taken before the visit to Bucharest of the Minister of the Interior of Austria, which blocked Romania’s entry into Schengen