Bulgaria will no longer be admitted to the Schengen area before elections for the Austrian National Council in autumn 2024, Bulgarian MEP Andrej Kovatschev (PPE) told journalists in Strasbourg on Tuesday.
Austria is currently blocking the admission of Bulgaria and Romania to the Schengen area.
However, according to Kovatschev, Austria had no problems with Bulgaria’s membership until a speech by Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP/EVP) changed the situation last November. “Their interior minister decided that this issue could give them a few more percentage points, which would improve their election results,” he said.
According to sources in the Bulgarian parliament, Sofia hopes to join the Schengen area, at least for air traffic, by January 2024.
Regarding the Netherlands, which also vetoes Bulgaria’s membership, Kovatchev explained that this has nothing to do with the Schengen issue, as the main reason is that there are many Bulgarian citizens in the Netherlands who benefit from the country’s social benefits system.
However, the Dutch public argument is that Bulgaria has problems with the rule of law. Bulgarian authorities hope to address these concerns through ongoing constitutional reform and the dismissal of Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev in June.
Kovatchev considers it impossible for Romania to be separated from Bulgaria into the Schengen area, as this would require the creation of an external Schengen border along the Danube.
On Monday, the European Commission declared its willingness to organize a new Schengen-related investigation in Bulgaria, at the request of the Netherlands.
The Commission has repeatedly stated that Bulgaria and Romania meet the conditions for full Schengen membership and has stated that it fully supports both countries.