Ciolacu slams Austria over Schengen: They’d better leave Schengen if they want barbed-wire fences

Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu announced that, if in December Austria votes against Romania’s accession to the Schengen Area, he will appeal to the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) this country’s refusal, stating that he wants the European Council, the European Parliament and the European Commission, to be his partners in this endeavor,  as they previously proved their support for our country’s accession.

Asked what happens with Austria’s refusal regarding Romania’s accession to Schengen, the prime minister stated that “first of all, there must be a veto vote from Austria”. “The veto vote from last time can no longer be invoked, because it has expired, it should have been invoked in a certain period, I don’t know if then it would have been particularly necessary to come… but now I I think it is necessary to come up with an attack at the European Court of Justice“, Ciolacu pointed out.

He specified that there are two moments. “In October is the first JAI meeting, in December we have the second JAI meeting, both of them are under the presidency of Spain and I am in contact with the Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sanchez, regarding the passage on the agenda. There is all the openness from Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and all the support for Romania to join the Schengen Area”, declared the prime minister.

Ciolacu also said that he is going to see, with the Romanian Representation and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, what are the best steps. “There is also a vote against Bulgaria, raised by the Netherlands. In the meantime, the MCV of Romania and Bulgaria was also raised, we are also waiting for a decision from the Netherlands, let’s see if we can still go for the package.”

The Head of the Cabinet in Bucharest also said that he will use “everything we have at hand and everything that is legal to do, because Romania’s place is in the Schengen area”.
“I will never be a hypocrite, I can’t say that I have nothing to do with Romania and that the Schengen space is overrun. Then why did I vote with Croatia last year. It’s a legitimate question, not mine, like the Prime Minister, it’s a legitimate question of the Romanians for Prime Minister Nehammer. If Schengen is so destroyed, I have no problem with Austria leaving Schengen, building barbed-wire and electric walls, I have no problem. If Austria wants this approach with fences, let it pay for them, they’d better leave Schengen,” Ciolacu said.

Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer seems adamant about the decision regarding Romania’s accession to the Schengen area. The official stated in a recent interview that it is not the right time to expand the free movement zone, as even now “the expansion can only be implemented when the protection of the external borders is working”.

Asked what the stages are in the case of introducing a court action against Austria, PSD MEP Victor Negrescu answered Digi24 that such an action follows only after all political-diplomatic avenues have been exhausted. “If the European institutions are with us, the case will be accelerated, it is treated with priority, it would be less than two years“, he stated.

Yet, it seems that PSD’s ruling partners, the Liberals do not share the same opinion.

The Liberal Minister of Internal Affairs, Cătălin Predoiu, qualifies as a “premature idea” the decision for Romania to sue Austria at the European Court of Justice due to the blocking of Schengen accession. Predoiu claims that the solution would be the “diplomatic way” and that Romania “has assets and real chances to make progress”, but without advancing a deadline.