Austrian Interior Minister Says 7% of Those Smuggling Migrants to Austria Are Romanians

According to the Minister, seven per cent of those smuggling migrants to Austria are Romanians.

Karner’s comments came during a press conference in Vienna, while the data, according to him, prove that “traffickers say it is easier than ever to get to Europe, which is also reflected in the number of apprehensions made by authorities in Austria, AtoZSerwisPlus.com reports.

The Minister said that the brutal drug mafia must continue to be fought with determination, stressing that it relies on border controls both nationally and internationally.

“An important signal is removal from the country and repatriation. In 2022, almost 13,000 repatriations were carried out”, the Minister emphasized. He stressed that nearly 40 per cent were carried out by force, while about 60 per cent of those left the country voluntarily, according to Profit report.

Austria’s Interior Minister said that among the traffickers apprehended last year, Romanians were in fourth place or, more specifically:

• Syrians- 103
• Turks- 68
• Ukrainians- 53
• Romanians-52
• Austrians- 34

Austria’s Interior Minister and Chancellor Karl Nehammer are among the authorities in Austria who do not support Romania’s accession to the borderless area of Schengen.

Earlier this month, the Austrian Minister of Interior once again said that Austria’s position regarding Romania’s accession to Schengen remains unchanged. This means that Austria will still not support the further expansion of the Schengen Zone until the Balkan country’s authorities manage to control the migration situation better.

Romanian media recently confirmed that Karner will visit today’s Romanian capital.

Recently, Spain pressured Austrian authorities to unblock the accession of Romania to Schengen following some Austrian authorities’ comments that the Balkan state is still not ready to become part of Schengen.

Spain’s Minister of Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, held a meeting with his Austrian counterpart, Gerhard Karner, on Austria, during which they discussed about priorities of the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU that will start in the second half of this year.

“Spain is a defender of cooperative measures instead of fragmentation ones,” Grande-Marlaska said, noting that both countries share their status as “destination and transit states for illegal migrants and asylum seekers.”

Regarding Romania’s accession to Schengen Zone, Austria’s President, Alexander Van der Bellen, considered that Romania has met all the needed requirements to become part of the Schengen Zone.