MEP Tomac: Romania should radically change its approach of the Schengen matter
MEP Eugen Tomac, chairman of the People's Movement Party (PMP), is calling on the Romanian government to join the case opened with the Court of Justice of the European Union, after "Austria's absurd refusal, obsessively repeated around a false argument" in the matter of Romania's accession to the border-free Schengen area, told Agerpres.
"After this absurd refusal of Austria, repeated obsessively around a false argument, it is necessary for Romania to radically change its approach of the Schengen issue. The Austrian Minister of the Interior, Gerhard Karner, claims that the government in Vienna opposes the expansion of the Schengen area because the mechanism is not working. This lying minister also forgets to say that at the exact same meeting where he refused Romania's access to the Schengen area, he voted for Croatia's entry into the free movement area of the European Union. All the rhetoric of Austrian officials towards Romania is full of falsehoods," Tomac wrote on Wednesday in a social media post.
He added that 25 countries from the Schengen area consider that Romania is meeting the accession conditions.
"At this moment, I am calling on the Government of Romania to join the case opened with the Court of Justice of the European Union and together to penalise this abuse of law committed by an irresponsible government led by profoundly anti-European politicians. 25 governments in the Schengen area consider that Romania is meeting all the conditions to be part of this area; the European Commission clearly says that Romania is meeting all the conditions, only one government, the one in Vienna, absolutely outrageously blocks our right to enjoy free movement. Stop keeping Europe divided! Open up the borders, Mr Nehammer!" Tomac said.
The Schengen system as a whole "is not working," Austrian Minister of the Interior Gerhard Karner said on Wednesday, adding that he does not consider that an enlargement of the area is currently "opportune."
At a joint news conference in Vienna with his Romanian counterpart Catalin Predoiu, he was asked about Austria's stance on the enlargement of the Schengen area.
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