Communication with Austria on Schengen has improved, Romanian minister says

Communication with Austria regarding the Schengen dossier has improved recently, according to Romanian foreign affairs minister Luminița Odobescu, despite the fact that there will be no vote on Romania’s accession this year.

"The communication with Austria has improved in recent times. There is a dialogue not only at the level of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs but also at the level of the Ministry of the Interior, and we continue all these diplomatic efforts together with my colleagues from the Foreign Ministry. In fact, these diplomatic efforts take place at the highest level," Odobescu said.

The Romanian Foreign Affairs Ministry is working with the Austrian side to ensure Romania’s accession to Schengen, according to the minister, cited by G4Media.

The former is waiting to find out whether the Netherlands will support Bulgaria's accession to the European free movement area before deciding on the Schengen dossier, according to Romanian prime minister Marcel Ciolacu. 

"The Netherlands had elections on November 22. The current prime minister did not have time to start the procedure, to submit it to the Parliament, because there were elections. It was almost certain that it would not be discussed in the JHA on December 4 and 5, but it remained on the agenda for an extraordinary JHA session in December. We are waiting for the Netherlands' decision regarding Bulgaria, and we will see how Romania will act," said the prime minister, cited by Digi24.

The accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen area is not a subject for a vote at the Justice and Home Affairs Council taking place on December 4 and 5. 

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(Photo source: Inquam Photos | Octav Ganea)