Austria will approve the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the Schengen area.
Prior to this, the Netherlands, which had also previously spoken out against this, withdrew its objections to this matter.
On Monday, December 9, it became known that the Austrian Interior Ministry will lift its veto on expansion within the Schengen Agreement, RIA Novosti reports.
Vienna had previously promised to reconsider its decision if Bulgaria and Romania tightened controls on their land borders.
Now Austria sees that these two countries meet all the requirements needed to join Schengen. The country's interior minister said Vienna would lift the veto.
Hungary is a supporter of Bulgaria and Romania joining Schengen.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban has said that the Balkan countries should all join the Schengen zone because they are a "gateway" to cheap energy.
A meeting of the EU Council of Interior Ministers on this issue will take place in Brussels on Thursday, December 12.
Austria was the last country to oppose the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to Schengen.
Author: Dmitry Bobrov
