Austria's partial acceptance of Romania in Schengen represents a good start, "but we have no reason to be happy that we accept the mercy" of the Austrians, former prime minister Dacian Cioloș believes, while Eugen Tomac believes that we were humiliated.
And rightfully so. Austria has come to condition the accession of an EU member state to the Schengen area as it pleases. On top of that, the Austrians have been giving us the rights of the schengen area with a slog instead of fully enjoying them since 2007, with our country's accession to the EU.
The fact that it gives us a chance to enter with airports in Schengen it's just dust in the eyes. It's not the 30 minutes we spend at passport control that bothers us, but land customs where we wait for hours or days. And Schengen does not only mean the advantage of the fact that we can travel more easily from one country to another, but at the cargo level the goods could travel much faster, without the trucks and trailers being stuck in customs for days.
Yes, this news is a good start, but we don't have to be happy to accept mercy, we don't jump for joy for the Austrian "ossuary" when we talk about our European right.
It is the responsibility of the government and the president to get a precise timetable for the entire accession process", Dacian Cioloș wrote on Facebook.
MEP Eugen Tomac declared: "We must be treated as European citizens, not absurdly discriminated against and humiliated".
"We have been waiting for 16 years and we only negotiate when there is public pressure, exerted by the Romanians who are amazed by the impudence with which some states despise the rules of the European Union. Austria is not doing Romania any favors if it changes its position and renounces these absurd conditions.
It is our right to be in Schengen and we must be treated as European citizens, not discriminated and humiliated absurdly. Therefore, any exaggerated announcement, which is not confirmed by a clear agenda, only reinforces Romanian Euroscepticism for free, and we do not need such", emphasizes Eugen Tomac.
The only notable advantage of Romania's accession to the Schengen area only by air will be capitalized on by Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu in the electoral campaign. Otherwise, zero for Romania. Austria should pay us hundreds of millions of EURO in compensation for blocking our right to fully enter the Schengen Area.