Schengen negotiations with Bulgaria: Austria announces its conditions for the land borders

Austria announced its conditions for a "green light" for Schengen and the specific parameters of the compromise reached for Bulgaria’s accession by air and by sea. Minister of Interior, Gerhard Karner, urged the European Commission and the European presidency to create a legal framework for the expansion of the Schengen airspace. The preconditions have been agreed between Austria, Bulgaria and Romania and include an extension of the Frontex mission and enhanced border controls between the two countries.

There will be an "air Schengen" when the necessary conditions are met and firmly set, Austrian Minister of Interior, Gerhard Karner, said in response to a journalist's question about the situation surrounding the Schengen negotiations.

"This means a significant increase in frontline protection at the EU's external border, especially in Bulgaria, Turkey, but also Romania and Serbia. Land borders will continue to be controlled, especially between Bulgaria and Romania. In addition, both countries need to accept asylum seekers, especially from Afghanistan and Syria. What is air Schengen? Entry through airports. For us it is not a problem because the traffickers do not use airports," said Gerhard Karner, Austria's Minister of Interior.

The Austrian conditions for the so-called "air Schengen" foresee an extension of the Frontex mission and an increase in the financial resources from the EC for a robust protection of the external borders. Austria insists that these conditions be formalised in an official document.

"In other words, after this political compromise, which was announced recently, the European Commission now has the task of drafting a binding legal text. It sounds very technocratic, but it is necessary because otherwise anything can be written," said Gerhard Karner, Austria's Minister of Interior.

At the moment, there are no negotiations on the inclusion of the lnd borders into Schengen and there is no set end date, the Austrian Interior Ministry stresses.

Support from Austria: Bulgaria and Romania enter Schengen by air and sea from March 2024

Authorities in Sofia and Bucharest yesterday announced they had reached a political agreement with Vienna on the expansion of the Schengen area by air and sea in March next year. In Austria itself, the mood is on both poles - the far right believes the government is irresponsibly opening the Schengen door, while the left opposition wants the opposite - Bulgaria and Romania to be in the free movement zone and this is exactly what the Austrians need, giving the example of Bulgarian and Romanian carers who do not travel by plane.

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