Tomorrow the Austrian Interior Minister Karner will meet with the Interior Ministers from Bulgaria and Romania in Budapest. Austria’s Schengen veto is on the agenda. For SPÖ EU MP Hannes Heide, an expansion of the Schengen area is long overdue: “It is high time to finally lift the Schengen veto, which has caused Austria considerable image and economic damage. Romania and Bulgaria have long since met the requirements for admission to the Schengen area. The future EU Commissioner Magnus Brunner confirmed this during his hearing. The Schengen blockade had the sole purpose of getting domestic political change out of the debate.” ****
Heide adds: “The change of heart of some ÖVP politicians is welcome, but it probably has more to do with the appointment of the designated Commissioner Brunner. Karner has emphasized several times in the past that Schengen expansion is out of the question for him because one should not enlarge a system that does not work. Nevertheless, it is to be hoped that Interior Minister Karner will follow Brunner’s argument in Budapest tomorrow and finally clear the way for Bulgaria and Romania to enter the Schengen area.” (Conclusion) le/lp
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