"Air Schengen": Austria softens stance on Bulgarian, Romanian accession

Austria has proposed a compromise regarding the Schengen zone accession of Romania and Bulgaria following months of firm opposition. 

The proposal made by Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner, coined by the term "Air Schengen," suggests abolishing border checks at airports for citizens traveling from the two Eastern European countries while still maintaining them at land borders. He expressed this view during an interview with the Austrian Kurier publication, noting however that there are several conditions for Vienna's approval.

Minister Karner listed the threefold increase in Frontex officers along the Bulgarian-Turkish and Romanian-Serbian borders as well as technical upgrades along certain, together with increased EU funds to finance border protection infrastructure such as fences, which the EU has vehemently refused in the past.

Another condition put forward by Vienna, which together with the Netherlands are the only Schengen countries opposing the accession of the two states, concerns the greater surveillance at Schengen's internal borders and greater relocation of asylum seekers, particularly those coming from Afghanistan and Syria. 

The European Commission welcomed the proposal, and discussions are underway.