The Austrian government is reportedly about to lift its veto on Romania and Bulgaria’s full accession to the Schengen free travel zone. A meeting of the interior ministers of these countries in Hungary on Friday 22 November could formalise this decision, as reported by Reuters and the Financial Times on Tuesday 19 and Wednesday 20 November.
A diplomatic source contacted by Agence Europe indicated that this information has not been denied by the Austrian government. A decision on full accession could therefore be validated at the next Home Affairs Council in Brussels on 12 December.
At the last EU Council of Ministers in October, European Commissioner Ylva Johannson said she was very optimistic that a decision would be taken by the end of the year (see EUROPE 13501/2). The Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the EU has made full accession a priority of its mandate.
At the end of 2023, the Member States authorised these two countries to join Schengen partially from March 2024, with the lifting of air and sea border controls, but Austria maintained its veto on full accession. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)