Earlier than expected, Chancellor Karl Nehammer could change his mind about blocking Romania and Bulgaria’s access to Schengen. This could happen in February 2023, Die Presse reports.
Chancellor Karl Nehammer drew vehement criticism for his negative vote PHOTO EPA EFE
Oliver Grimm, the Brussels correspondent of the Viennese daily, claims in an article that Nehammer would change his mind immediately after the elections in Lower Austria, that is, in February.
“First of all, it is assumed that he realized by now what a capital mistake he made for himself and for the republic with this no. And not because well-intentioned fans of Europe, like the author of these lines, tried to remind him of the truth, the path and the beauty of European integration. But because until now almost every national company that generates revenue in either country – or in Central and Eastern Europe in general – money that the coalition government then taxes and lets trickle down to the population in the form of a light rain of subsidies, I must have told him about the absurdity of this blockade”, the journalist says in the opinion article, according to Digi 24.
“He will have a lot of work in the new year”
He also recalls the fact that this negative vote created an anti-Austrian spirit in Romania.
“In Romania, the Schengen veto has sparked a rather significant anti-Austrian mood, but it has also given an impetus to the public debate regarding the sometimes dubious connections between Austrian corporations and Romanian politics. In any case, the chancellor will have a lot of work to do in the new year to explain to citizens how the domestic model of prosperity will be maintained after Russian gas flows are completely cut off. It doesn’t make much sense to make yourself unpopular in the most important export markets of the national economy at a time like this,” wrote Oliver Grimm.
We lose 10 billion euros a year
On Thursday, December 22, the PSD president asked Chancellor Karl Nehammer “to do the right thing and cancel his government’s decision” regarding Romania’s accession to Schengen. Ciolacu claims that Romania deserves to be part of Schengen since 2011.
The PSD leader claims that the advantages of joining the Schengen area “will be profound”. An analysis by the Minister of Finance shows that Romania loses 10 billion euros every year due to the fact that our country is not part of Schengen.
