Austria conditions Bulgaria, Romania to accept refugees for entry into Schengen

BELGRADE, Serbia

Austria said Friday that Bulgaria and Romania need to accept refugees from Afghanistan and Syria as a condition for entry into the Schengen Zone.

Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said there must be visible progress in the area of the protection of the EU’s external borders to reach the point that Bulgaria and Romania are accepted into “air Schengen,” according to reports by Bulgarian National Television.

Romania and Bulgaria, member of the EU since 2007, will enter the Schengen area of free movement by air and sea borders in March, Romania said Wednesday.

Karner stressed in a statement the need for bolstered border controls in those countries, insisting on increased military presence, especially along land borders between Romania and Bulgaria.

He added that the conditions include increasing Frontex operations in Bulgaria and controls at land borders, and receiving financial support from the EU Commission to strengthen controls at land borders.

Frontex is the EU border and coast guard agency.

The Austrian Interior Ministry emphasized that there are no ongoing negotiations for the two countries' accession to Schengen with land borders and therefore there is no planned date.

The formal approval of all members states is needed as the last step to materialize the agreement, the statement noted.

The Schengen area currently includes 23 of 27 European countries as well as Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It allows residents to travel freely among member countries without going through border controls.

Austria argued earlier that the increasing flow of undocumented migrants to Europe proves that the Schengen area does not function properly, and the Netherlands, which insisted that Bulgaria should undertake comprehensive judicial and anti-corruption reforms -- has long blocked Romania and Bulgaria’s entry into the Schengen area.