Romanian prime minister Marcel Ciolacu recently stated that the government he leads "reserves the right to challenge the decision at the European Court of Justice (ECJ)" if Austria continues to oppose Romania's accession to the Schengen area at the JAI Council meeting in December.

Ciolacu said he expects the next JAI Council will be when the question of Romania and Bulgaria’s accession to Schengen will be discussed once again. In the event that Austria uses its veto right without justification, then "I reserve the right to challenge the decision at the European Court of Justice," said the prime minister, cited by Digi24.

Marcel Ciolacu argued that domestic affairs should not come before European interests, especially when solidarity should matter the most. "It is not a demand of Romania and Bulgaria, it is simply a right," he added. 

The prime minister believes that Austria's opposition to Romania joining the border-free zone is entirely unjustified. "At this moment, Romania has met all the technical conditions, for over 10 years now. The recent efforts of Bulgaria to close all the files regarding the rule of law have been completed and recognized by the Commission. We hope to have practical discussions with both the Commission, the European Parliament, and the two states that have opposed until now," Ciolacu stated. 

Marcel Ciolacu participated in the trilateral meeting in Varna on Monday, October 9. Romania, Bulgaria, and Greece agreed to implement a common plan of action in key development areas.

The Romanian PM previously said that Romania will take Austria to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) if the latter continues to veto the former’s bid for Schengen membership.

radu@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Gov.ro)