Austrian interior minister Gerhard Karner visits Romania’s Port of Constanta

Romania's interior minister, Catalin Predoiu, met Austrian counterpart, Gerhard Karner, at the Black Sea port of Constanta on Tuesday, May 26. The two visited Romania’s maritime border, witnessed an integrated exercise for combating illegal migration, and discussed further cooperation.

Back in 2024, Austria stood as the sole EU member state opposing Romania’s land-based integration into the borderless Schengen Area. Since then, relations have improved dramatically. According to Predoiu, Romania and Austria have shown they can overcome difficult moments through direct dialogue, cooperation, and concrete results. The official also expressed gratitude for Austria’s support for Romania's strategic objective of joining the OECD.