12.12.2022

PRESS RELEASE

UNTRR condemns Austria's vote against Romania and the road transport industry joining the Schengen area. UNTRR requests Romanian Government to remove controls at the border with Bulgaria

The National Union of Road Hauliers from Romania - UNTRR condemns Austria's vote against the accession of Romania, and the road transport industry to the Schengen area, and requests the Romanian Government to remove controls at the border with Bulgaria.

By Austria's veto, the road transport industry, Romania's largest exporter of services, is the most affected economic domain. Thus, Austria deals a strong blow to the Romanian economy in which it has major interests.

Whether Austria wanted as it claims to send a signal against Schengen extension, then it should have not accepted any candidate countries. Selective voting demonstrates, by accepting Croatia and rejecting Romania and Bulgaria, a subjective and unprincipled approach that torpedoed the unity of the European Union and that happened under the close supervision of the European Commission. Under these conditions, it is difficult to understand the favorable vote of Romania and Bulgaria for Croatia's accession to Schengen.

UNTRR expresses its deep dissatisfaction that the other EU Member States, especially the great Western democracies, abandoned the principle of fulfilling the technical obligations as necessary and sufficient for the inclusion of Romania and Bulgaria in the Schengen area. Changing the rules at the end of the game only for a part of the candidates proves the clear application of unequal and preferential treatment. Do these become the new principles of the European Union?

If Austria and the other EU member states want to change the conditions for joining the Schengen area, then they must impose them on the future candidate countries and not on the existing ones, which have been asked to meet clear conditions, which they did already.

Romania and Bulgaria joined the European Union together and have permanently teamed up to enter the Schengen area together, and they endeavor to further common efforts to join the Schengen area. In this spirit of solidarity, UNTRR requests the Government of Romania that together with the Government of Bulgaria solve urgently and pragmatically the simplification of formalities to the point of eliminating controls at the border between the two countries.

UNTRR urges the Government of Romania to further and to strengthen its efforts to achieve the goal of Romania's accession to the Schengen area together with Bulgaria in 2023.

The European Union might not be perfect but Romania cannot belong to any other association than the EU, and that is the case with democracy, even though not a flawless system, there is none better so far.

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The National Union of Road Hauliers from Romania (UNTRR) is a professional and employer’s organization, non-governmental, independent, and apolitical, founded in 1990 on democratic principles, which promotes and defends the interests of road hauliers on national and international level, with more than 16,000 registered companies since its establishment – companies operating national and international transports of goods and passengers.