The European Commission, the Netherlands and Italy agree on a migration deal with Tunisia. The Commission formally requests Austria to address shortcomings in its implementation of the Habitats Directive in the Hohe Tauern National Park in the province of Salzburg. Bulgarian Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov hopes his country will join the Schengen area in October.
Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg urges EU candidate North Macedonia to accept constitutional changes in order to advance its EU accession process. The government of Morocco seeks a partnership with the EU in the fisheries sector. The European Parliament criticises Austria for vetoing the Schengen accession of Romania and Bulgaria.
International support is gradually arriving in Turkey and Syria, but many earthquake victims are still waiting for the help they need; an EU donor conference is planned for March. Bosnia and Herzegovina’s new foreign minister, Elmedin Konaković, paid an official visit to Brussels. Migration into the EU: The Slovak Republic and others stressed the necessity of strict protection of the external borders. Bulgaria and Romania insist they have fulfilled the conditions to be accepted into Schengen.
Commissioner Hahn is hopeful about Romania’s and Bulgaria’s chances to join the Schengen zone. European Commission officials consider easing EU state aid rules in response to US subsidies. As of last week, Sweden is home to the EU’s first-ever satellite launch site on mainland territory. Illegal entries into the EU are reaching peak levels not seen since 2016.
Every summer, tourists used to spend hours stuck in traffic jams on the border with Croatia. This will soon be a thing of the past. The Adriatic country is going to join the Schengen area without border controls as early as 2023. But for Bulgaria and Romania, the borderless dream has not come true yet.