Romania’s accession to the Schengen area is not on the agenda of the last meeting of the Council of Justice and Home Affairs (JAI) under the presidency of Sweden, scheduled for June 8-9 in Luxembourg. However, the European Commission recently assured that Romania’s accession to the European Free Movement Area remains a priority for it and that it will do everything possible for a favorable decision in 2023.

In the presence of the ministers of interior affairs of the member states of the European Union, as well as with the participation of the ministers of interior affairs of Norway, Switzerland, Iceland and Liechtenstein, the meeting of the JAI Council will take place in Luxembourg on Thursday and Friday. This is the last one organized during Sweden’s presidency of the European Union.

The preliminary agenda of the JAI Council for Thursday is to discuss the general situation in the Schengen area based on the European Commission’s report on the state of the free movement area for 2023, with a proposal to adopt a free movement strategy in the EU during the next 12 months.

• “Although Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson promised at the plenary session of the European Parliament that the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen zone will be an important goal of his country, we note from the presented agenda that on June 8 the Schengen problem will be discussed with a proposal to adopt a free movement strategy in the EU during the next 12 months.
• However, the most important decision that the JAI Board had to make, namely the decision to cancel the borders for Romania and Bulgaria, is completely absent from the agenda.
• Therefore, I maintain my position and emphasize once again that the only way we can enter the Schengen area is through the process that we opened in the CEU. This is our right, and we will stand up for justice ourselves!”, said EU Member of Parliament Evgeny Tomak.

From July 1, Spain will take over the presidency of the EU Council.

However, the European Commission recently stated that Romania’s accession to the European Free Movement Area remains a priority.

• “Enlargement of the Schengen area remains a political priority for the Commission and, in close cooperation with the President of the Council and the European Parliament, we are committed to doing everything in our power to ensure that the Council takes the necessary measures as soon as possible during 2023 so that Romania and Bulgaria can join the Schengen area.” – says the answer of the European Commission, sent to the MEP Nik Štefanuts.

On March 22, a Romanian MEP sent data to the European Commission that billions of euros in Romania are standing in queues at customs just because it is not in Schengen.

“You’ve made progress, but we have to tell you there’s still a long way to go”

On April 26, Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner, who blocked Romania’s entry into Schengen, was in Bucharest and told Romanians that he was “very sympathetic” to their expectations, that the authorities had made progress in securing borders and managing migration, but there was more to come. “long way”.

An official from Vienna said that “Austrian citizens face the same dilemma when they are subject to checks in Germany.”

The official from Vienna repeated the same figures he used to prevent Romania from joining Schengen: last year, more than 110,000 people entered Austria illegally, of which more than 80,000 were unregistered, and the border protection system still does not work. He said he saw “great things” at the Romanian border police headquarters, that Romania “has made progress and is on the right track, but there is still a long way to go:

• “I am very sympathetic to the minister’s complaint and to the expectations of the Romanian people regarding the next phase of Schengen accession, but at the moment you have to think that Austrian citizens have the same dilemma when they are subject to controls with Germany.
• You have made great progress, you are on the right track, but we have to tell you that there is still a long way to go.”

When asked persistently by Romanian journalists whether Austria will vote for Romania’s accession to the Schengen area this year, an Austrian official said that he could not give a date on this matter:

• “I will tell you frankly: for my part, I cannot tell you today’s date. First of all, I want to achieve results so that the EU is protected in the area of ​​external borders.”
• “I can only repeat: I cannot talk to you about the date, we are still far from the point where we can say that the system is working, and therefore I am fighting with many partners together so that the system can be improved.”
• Gerhard Karner’s visit to the capital of Romania took place in the context of the fact that a number of EU member states sent signals from Bucharest itself that Romania should join the Schengen area this year.

• 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

How long can Austria block Romania’s entry into Schengen?

Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said on April 28, Politico reported, that Austria would retain veto power over Romania and Bulgaria joining the Schengen zone until Vienna sees a “sustainable reduction” in the number of asylum seekers.

• “Frankly, it’s important for us that the numbers come down, and there has to be a steady decline,” Schallenberg said, calling the veto a “red flag” for Brussels.
• “We must understand that when we see more than 100,000 asylum applications every 12 months, it is difficult for us in Austria to simply allow this dysfunctional system to continue,” the head of Austrian diplomacy added.

We will remind you that on December 8, 2022, the Council of Justice and Home Affairs (JAI) of the European Union rejected the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to Schengen and accepted only the request of Croatia. Austria managed to block a favorable decision for our country in the JAI Council, because unanimity is required for entry into Schengen. It was joined by the Netherlands on the condition that they oppose the accession of Bulgaria, and the vote was cast “together with Romania”.

After blocking Romania’s entry into Schengen, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehhammer and Interior Minister Gerhard Karner claimed that of the more than 100,000 immigrants or asylum seekers who arrived in Austria, 75,000 were not registered anywhere, and that this must have happened when crossing the EU’s external border. They claimed that many of the unregistered arrived via Romania or Bulgaria, contradicting the Romanian authorities.