Die Presse: Romania wants to block Austria in the OSCE and in the NATO Partnership for Peace if it does not lift the veto on Schengen

Romania will no longer endure the Austrian veto against its entry into the Schengen area and is working on response measures at the international level, Die Presse wrote, citing “several diplomatic sources”.

“If an agreement is not reached soon, Romania could retaliate against Austria within the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and within NATO’s Partnership for Peace,” noted the liberal Austrian newspaper.

According to the quoted source, “the OSCE has a leadership problem that threatens its existence.”

“Russia opposes Estonia taking over the rotating presidency of North Macedonia in 2024, and the Kremlin does not like the vigorous way the small Baltic state supports Ukraine,” Die Presse wrote.

Decision-making within the OSCE is done by unanimity, and the organization that includes 57 member states would be paralyzed in the event of a “No” by Russia. Austria, which hosts the OSCE headquarters, is considering the possibility of taking over the presidency, the Austrian newspaper also noted.

In January, Romania took over the presidency of the Security Committee of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), a mandate that it will fulfill during 2023.

On December 14, 2022, a week after Austria blocked Romania from Schengen by voting in the JHA, the president of the PSD and the Chamber of Deputies, Marcel Ciolacu, claimed that “Romania must exercise its right of veto over the interests of the Austrian state”, as an answer. Instead, President Klaus Iohannis announced that there will be no Romanian boycott of Austria.