Two Romanian MEPs argue that with EU institutions adopting a political agreement, which for the first time lays down a harmonised approach to migration management for the bloc, Austria no longer has any valid grounds to oppose their country’s bid to join the Schengen area.
With EU institutions agreeing to a political agreement on five laws after negotiations that lasted two days, REPER MEP Dragoș Pîslaru calls the conditions Austria put out about Romania’s accession bid to Schengen obsolete.
Pîslaru has already urged the Romanian government and President Klaus Iohannis to strategically leverage the agreement at the EU level – the aim being to end the humiliation of Romanians in lengthy queues and prevent further harm to Romania’s economy.
The other Romanian MEP who has made similar calls is USR MEP Vlad Gheorghe.
“Austria has now lost its last pretext for opposing Romania’s Schengen entry”, Gheorghe said, noting that political blackmail from countries like Austria and Hungary hindered institutions from agreeing on a proposal first tabled in the autumn of 2020.
However, for PMP MEP Eugen Tomac (EPP), a legal solution remains the best course of action.
On Wednesday, Tomac announced that he had appealed against the decision of the EU’s Court of Justice rejecting his case against Austria’s Council veto of the Schengen bids of Romania and Bulgaria.
(Cătălina Mihai | Euractiv.ro)
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Source: euractiv.com
