Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer and Interior Minister Gerhard Karner will agree to allow Romania and Bulgaria to join Schengen airports if both countries and the European Commission agree to a set of demands. Austrian public radio reports this CUSTOM.
If Austria lifts its veto, passengers from Romania and Bulgaria will no longer have to go through passport control on intra-EU flights, but they will have to identify themselves at check-in like all other EU citizens.
It is unclear when this decision could be taken, as this issue was not on the agenda at the previous EU Council meeting in the JHA format, where the expansion of the Schengen area was discussed.
Thus, Interior Minister Gerhard Karner is ready to weaken Austria’s veto power over Romania and Bulgaria. Border controls could be removed, at least in terms of air traffic. Austrian newspapers Kurier and Kleine Zeitung also wrote about this issue. The condition put forward by Austria will be to tighten border controls.
Land borders will retain their current status, and Bulgaria and Romania will not officially become members of the Schengen area, which means that the situation for road freight transport companies will not improve.
Interior Minister Karner will meet with representatives of the participating states to discuss the conditions that must be met for Austria to accept “Air Schengen” (entry of two states into Schengen through air borders).
Formerly President of Finland guess There are difficulties on the Russian border.