If Austria again vetoes the admission of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen area once the issue is back on the agenda, Bucharest plans to open legal action. “Categorically, yes,” said Ciolacu when asked by the newspaper. The head of government estimates the damage caused to Romania by not joining the border-free zone at two percent of gross domestic product.
Ciolacu also called for a total ban on the import of Russian gas within the EU: “Because there is a very big difference between what we are losing, namely a little comfort, and what is happening in Ukraine”. The Prime Minister agreed with European Commission representative Martin Selmayr’s recent controversial statement that Austria was paying “blood money” to Moscow through gas imports: “What Mr. Selmayr says is true. “
Romanian EU parliamentarians Eugen Tomac and Vlad Botoș had already called on the European Commission, in a letter to the representative responsible for EU sanctions against Russia, David O’Sullivan, to open an investigation into Austria’s compliance with sanctions.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called on Romania and Bulgaria to join Schengen “without further delay” on Wednesday. Both countries have proven that they meet the necessary conditions, she said during her State of the Union speech in Strasbourg. Her request is likely to be aimed primarily at Austria, which continues to block the two countries’ membership. However, von der Leyen did not mention Austria by name.
Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) reacted cautiously to von der Leyen: The fight against irregular migration and smugglers must be a priority for the Commission. According to him, the number of migrations in Europe is currently increasing: “Right now, it doesn’t make sense for me to talk about expanding the Schengen area. We need more controls, not less.”
“Merely criticizing Austria is no longer enough. Vienna’s policy casts a shadow over the EU’s ability to deal with conflicts and crises in a coordinated way. Austria’s lack of solidarity with the European cause shows the loyalty of its policymakers and companies,” says the letter from the two Romanian deputies in clear words. They suspected a possible violation of Russian sanctions by Vienna, Eugen Tomac wrote on Facebook on Thursday.
Criticism of the statements made by the two Romanian MPs regarding the violation of sanctions on Russia came from the leader of the ÖVP delegation in the European Parliament, Angelika Winzig: “The statements are far from objective criticism and must be rejected in the strongest possible terms. ” She said in a broadcast. “Above all, we must promote strong protection of external borders and implement an effective European pact on asylum and migration, in the interests of all Member States. Then, we can also think about expanding the Schengen area.” At the same time, she assured: “The veto is not directed against the Romanian population.”
Another Romanian MEP, former Prime Minister and former EU Agriculture Commissioner Dacian Cioloș, appealed to President Klaus Johannis, Prime Minister Ciolacu and Senate President Nicolae Ciuca regarding the Schengen veto in another letter to Bucharest to immediately change its position at EU Council level: Romania must from now on behave “as inflexibly as Austria” and, with the exception of greater support for Ukraine, block all EU decisions that require unanimity until the Justice and Home Affairs Council finally gives the green light for the country to join Schengen.
Although Romania has long complied with the technical conditions for joining Schengen, Austria’s blockade of Schengen is “as unjustified as it is illegal”. Since December, the Romanian authorities have done everything they can to dispel the Austrian federal government’s unfounded concerns – but in vain, which proves once again that the Vienna veto has “exclusively political motivations” and that Austria is ” obstruct the proper functioning of the European Union as a whole.” wrote Cioloș.
In turn, Romanian MEP Rares Bogdan accused EU authorities of incompetence: Neither the Commission nor the Council were apparently able to “stop Chancellor (Karl) Nehammer from humiliating an EU state and its 25 million citizens”, said Bogdan yesterday, Wednesday, in the Strasbourg Parliament following European Commission President von der Leyen’s State of the Union speech. However, the Austrian Chancellor is humiliating “not just Romania and Romanians, but the European system as a whole” – starting with the Council “and all the way to you, dear Ursula”, said the MEP.