The business community in Austria welcomed the partial agreement announced on Saturday night that allows Romania and Bulgaria to enter Schengen first with air and sea borders, and called for continued talks on full integration, including with land borders.

In a press release, the Austrian industrialists said it was an “important step” as the agreement made things easier not only for travelers but also for companies.

Austrian companies are among the most important investors in Romania with €11.2 billion and more than 61,000 local jobs, as well as in Bulgaria with €2.8 billion and more than 21,000 local jobs,” said the press release of the Federation of Austrian industry

“Romania and Bulgaria are important economic partners for the Austrian economy, our companies are the second most important foreign investors in both countries and have important sales markets in the region,” the Austrian Federal Chamber of Economics (WKÖ) emphasized.

At the same time, she demanded the continuation of negotiations to find a solution for full integration in Schengen.

“A strong European economy can exist only in a consolidated internal European market. This also includes the implementation of the free movement of persons within the Schengen Agreement, subject to compliance with the relevant conditions. For this, it is necessary to conduct additional discussions in order to find comprehensive solutions,” the press release of the WKO states, News.ro reports.

The Council of the EU has decided on the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to Schengen with an air and sea border, the Ministry of Internal Affairs announced on Saturday evening.

Earlier, Austria confirmed the agreement with Romania and Bulgaria regarding “Air Schengen”, which allows entry by air transport without border control