Austria has rejected European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s call to lift its veto against Bulgaria and Romania joining the Schengen area, arguing that extending the visa-free zone currently makes no sense, www. Euractiv.com reports. In her State of the Union address on Wednesday, von der Leyen called out Austria for blocking the Schengen accession of Bulgaria and Romania, urging the country to “finally let them in – without further delay”. Austria, however, was quick to dismiss the request. “Currently, the migration figures are rising across Europe, and in many countries, additional border controls are being discussed, for example, in Germany with Poland,” Austria’s Interior Minister, Gerhard Karner, said in a statement. “At this point in time, it makes no sense for me to talk about an extension of the Schengen area. We need more controls, not less,” he added. Austria has been blocking accession for both countries, fearing an influx of irregular migrants. According to the Austrian government, the two countries could not effectively control their borders, which would become the EU’s external borders after their Schengen accession. Von der Leyen, on the other hand, stressed that the two eastern European states have already become a model “showcasing best practices on both asylum and returns.” “They have proved it: Bulgaria and Romania are part of our Schengen area,” von der Leyen added during her State of the Union speech. Back home, the government’s continued insistence on the blockade has also been criticised by the liberal NEOS party, now in opposition. “This is a direct call to the Austrian federal government to finally lift its unspeakable and anti-European veto,” NEOS MEP Claudia Gamon told APA after von der Leyen’s speech.
The first padel club in western Romania, Padel Center, will host the first padel tournament within the official calendar of the International Padel Federation (FIP) organized in Romania and the Balkans. The FIP SILVER ROMANIA tournament will take place from May 26 to June 1, on the Padel Center courts in Dumbrăvița (6 Praga Street), […]
Romania’s Competition Council has authorized the transaction through which electronic retailer Altex takes over DIY chain Brico Depot Romania, a network with 32 stores and 2,000 employees, in a deal valued at EUR 70 million. Altex is one of the leading retailers of electronics in Romania, while Brico Depot offers products in categories such as […]
Romanian poets Teona Galgoțiu and Radu Nițescu, along with Swedish poets Jonathan Brott and Filip Lindberg, will take part in the 13th edition of the Romanian-Swedish Translation Workshop, to be held between April 23–30 in Stockholm. The workshop is organized by the Romanian Cultural Institute in Stockholm and the National Book Center (CENNAC) in partnership […]
The Irish dance group Lord of the Dance will return to Romania on April 2 and 3, 2026, with the "30th Anniversary Tour." The troupe founded by the well-known Michael Flatley will perform the two shows in Romania on April 2, at the BT Arena Polyvalent Hall in Cluj Napoca, and on April 3, at […]
The National Opera in Bucharest will host the "I Exist Too!" charity concert, featuring Byzantine music, in support of children diagnosed with autism, on May 26. The goal of the concert is to raise the necessary funds to support families whose children have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders. All proceeds from donations and ticket […]
Schwarz IT continues its development and aims to expand its team in Romania by approximately 30% in 2025, opening opportunities for IT specialists who want to contribute to complex digitalization projects. Available positions include Cloud Network Engineer, DevOps Engineer AI, ServiceNow Developer, Junior and Senior GO Software Engineer, Adobe Experience Manager Software Developer, PhP Developer […]
