Romanian President: no retaliation against Austria, Schengen accession possible in 2023

There will be no boycott of the Romanian state against Austria in retaliation, Romania will not sue Austria at the European Court of Justice, and Romanians should not have high expectations from the coming European Council (scheduled for these days), President Klaus Iohannis said.

"This moment, in my opinion, can be handled in one key, with diplomacy. Everything else must be ruled out. I heard opinions, advice. There will be no boycott of Austria by the state and public authorities," the President said, according to Cursdeguvernare.ro.

He added that the country can still join the Schengen area in 2023.

"I will raise the matter in the Council plenary, but practical solutions will be found in the future JHA Council," President Iohannis stated.

He also voiced against decoupling Romania's from Bulgaria's Schengen accession while admitting that different calendars may be assigned to each of the two countries.

Various voices in Romania have been calling for a boycott of Austrian businesses after Vienna's decision to block the country's accession to Schengen. Companies under the Ministry of Transportation also announced that they would be moving their sizable accounts from BCR, a subsidiary of Austrian bank Erste, to CEC Bank, which has as its largest shareholder the Romanian state.

(Photo source: Facebook/Klaus Iohannis)