After Romania and Bulgaria missed out on joining the Schengen Area, following opposition from Austria and the Netherlands and several Romanian businessmen and citizens made a call on boycotting Austrian-based companies operating in Romania, two of the largest Austrian investors in Romania, Erste Group-BCR and Raiffeisen Bank took stand.
“There are no second-tier member states. We regret the result of today’s vote in the Council,” said Willi Cernko, CEO of Erste Group – the company that owns the majority stake in BCR.
In a Facebook post signed by Willi Cernko, CEO Erste Group, the bank group said:
“Erste Group is a European company – and, in particular, a Central European company. For us, #believeineurope is not just a wording, it is the expression of our deep convictions. It is not only about the fact that we believe in Europe, it is about supporting Europe and defending the European idea This is especially true today, when a decision of the JAI Council has a direct impact on over 5,000 of my colleagues and over 2.8 million of our clients in Romania.
We support a strong Europe and we support a strong European Union. And we are convinced that only a united European Union can be a strong European Union. But a united European Union is one in which all EU citizens have the same rights and obligations. There are no second-tier member states. Our aim must therefore be for all citizens to benefit equally from the freedoms of the Union. This also includes participation in the Schengen area.
We regret the result of the vote in the JHA Council. Romania and Austria have many things that are closely related together. Social, cultural and, of course, also economic. Austria is one of the most important investors in Romania, and Romania is, in turn, a very important export market for Austrian companies.A veto is the strongest position an EU member state can take in a vote. We assume that the Austrian government has weighed this step very carefully, and we respect that it must also consider security concerns. Unity does not mean that all partners must always be of the same opinion without any discussion. However, it is clear that this step will have very tangible consequences for millions of EU citizens. Therefore, our common goal must be to quickly find a viable solution. At the Erste Group level, we want and will make our contribution to this goal, therefore we call on political leaders at all levels to take responsibility for finding a solution.”
In its turn, Raiffeisen Bank said in a press release that it unequivocally confirms the statement made by the BCR and emphasizes that no pressure was put on it by the authorities either. Zdenek Romanek, president & CEO of Raiffeisen Bank Romania, said: “We fully support Romania’s accession to the Schengen area and we will continue to support the efforts of the authorities to achieve this goal.”