The Netherlands and Austria have opposed their veto to enter the Shengen area of Romania and Bulgaria, pretending to increase the arrivals of migrants to the borders.
by Philippe Jacqué (Brussels, European office)
It was to be a day of joy for Croatia, Bulgaria and Romania. After eleven years of waiting, these last two countries, in particular, finally hoped to enter the Schengen area and join the twenty-two members of this free movement area. But Thursday, December 8, if the interior ministers of the member states of the zone validated the entry of Croatia well, they did not wish to vote concerning Bulgaria and Romania which pleaded, three hours for three hours , their cause. In vain.
The Netherlands had long opposed their entry, advancing the weakness of the measures to combat corruption and the rule of law in these countries, before softening their position a little – The Hague had So ended up opening the door in Bucharest. But for a month, in turn, Austria has come out of the wood, refusing as a whole the entrance to the two applicants.
“There is no argument for this refusal, neither analysis nor anything else,” reacted the Bulgarian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nikolay Milkov, after the Council of Ministers gathered in Brussels. Ylva Johansson, the commissioner of the internal market, also regretted this decision. “When we are united, we are very strong. When we are disunited, as on Bulgaria and Romania, we are weak,” she deplored. In fact, Austria has hardened its position because of the migratory question, which has never divided the twenty-seven.
“This year, we recorded more than 100,000 illegal border passages in Austria,” said Gerhard Karner, the Minister of the Interior, upon his arrival at the Council. However, the Austrian government fears that the lifting of the border controls of Romania and Bulgaria further increases migratory pressure. Vienna’s position seems mainly partly dictated by reasons of internal policy near the next legislative elections scheduled for the start of 2023. In order to regain popularity, the Union Government between the right and the Greens has thus decided to play the card Firmness on immigration in the face of the rise in the polls of the extreme right.
force report
If Europe has not denied the strong growth of irregular arrivals since the start of the year (281,000 admissions, up 77 % over ten months), the relationship with the Schengen zone seems tenuous. Especially since on the way of the Balkans taken by many migrants, Croatia does not better than Romania or Bulgaria to stem arrivals.
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