Schengen accession means the abolition of land and sea border controls with the other member states.

Francesco Giorgi with former Italian MEP Antonio Panzeri at the European Parliament in Brussels.

Now playing Next

EU Parliament corruption suspect Giorgi to remain in Belgian jail

Latest news bulletin | January 28th – Evening

Now playing Next

Latest news bulletin | January 28th – Evening

Brussels my love breaks down European politics.

Now playing Next

Brussels, my love? Iran's brutal repression ^ France's pension reform

Stockholm bridge row exposes inequalities fracturing Swedish society

Now playing Next

Guns, gangs and soup kitchens: Exploring Sweden's issues of inequality

People in Beirut protest as the value of Lebanon's currency hits a new low

Now playing Next

Protestors in Beirut demand reforms as currency tumbles

Oct. 13, 2015 file photo, shows the reconstructed wreckage of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17.

Now playing Next

Case against Russia over downing of MH17 can go ahead, court rules

Firefighters try to reach stranded motorists in Auckland, New Zealand

Now playing Next

New Zealanders wade through floodwaters as wild weather continues

Galicia, Spain

Now playing Next

Galicia’s climate makes it perfect for a hiking holiday in Spain

War-damaged homes in Ukraine

Now playing Next

Ten civilians killed as Russia shells homes in Ukraine

Police detained protestors after Extinction Rebellion activists and sympathisers blocked a busy road in The Hague.

Now playing Next

Dutch police arrest climate activists during protest near The Hague

Giorgia Meloni in the Libyan capital Tripoli

Now playing Next

Italy's Giorgia Meloni visits Tripoli as $8bn gas deal is signed

Peaceful protests against police brutality in America after the death of Tyre Nicholas in Memphis

Now playing Next

Peaceful demonstrators in America call for justice for Tyre Nichols

Updated: 09/12/2022 - 13:15

Austria blocks Schengen accession of Romania and Bulgaria, while Croatia gets green light

Austria argues a new influx of asylum-seekers through the Western Balkan route is reason enough to postpone Schengen enlargement.

Read full article

More from Europe News

Hungarian Minister without Portfolio, Tibor Navracsics, speaks before the European Parliament's Committee on Culture and Education in Brussels on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2014.

Now playing Next

Budapest ready to U-turn on university funding row with Brussels

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko

Now playing Next

Ukraine will need 'fighter jets' after tanks, former president says

The Leopard 2 tanks are manufactured by a German company and used by countries like Poland, Spain, Greece and Denmark.

Now playing Next

What makes the Leopard 2 so powerful compared to other Western tanks?

Police border guards patrol along a border wall near the town of Feres, along the Evros River which forms the frontier between Greece and Turkey on Sunday, Oct. 30, 2022.

Now playing Next

Brussels unveils plan to boost returns of irregular migrants

Latest video

Vehicles are stranded by flood water in Auckland, Saturday, Jan 28, 2023.

Now playing Next

Three dead and one missing after record rain pounds Auckland

Teachers and school staff demand better pay and conditions in Portugal.

Now playing Next

Thousands of school staff in pay protest march in Portugal

Israeli soldiers respond to a shooting in East Jerusalem

Now playing Next

Palestinian boy shot and injured two Israeli men

Presidential candidate and retired general Petr Pavel with his wife Eva arrive at his election headquarters to acknowledge the preliminary results of the presidential runoff.

Now playing Next

Retired general Petr Pavel wins election to become Czech president

Pro-Brexit campaigners outside parliament, March 2019

Now playing Next

Some EU citizens in the UK may to repay state handouts

This image from a video released by the City of Memphis, shows Tyre Nichols during a brutal attack by five Memphis police officers on Jan. 7, 2023.

Now playing Next

Video shows Tyre Nichols brutally beaten by US police in Tennessee

Peru's President Dina Boluarte gives a press conference with foreign media at the government palace in Lima, Peru, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023.

Now playing Next

Boluarte calls for elections in Peru later this year

A woman votes at the presidential elections runoff at a polling station in Pruhonice, Czech Republic.

Now playing Next

Czech Republic casts final ballots in runoff election for president

Palestinians celebrate after a shooting attack near a synagogue in Jerusalem, in Gaza City, Friday, Jan. 27, 2023.

Now playing Next

Palestinian teen wounds two, day after seven killed in east Jerusalem

FILE - In this Feb. 15, 2014 photo Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and IOC President Thomas Bach meet in the Bolshoi Ice Dome in Sochi, Russia.

Now playing Next

Ukraine disputes IOC’s plan to lift ban on Russian athletes

Sir Ben Ainslie tells The Dialogue it was a ‘no brainer’ to become the majority owner of the Great Britain SailGP team

Now playing Next

The Olympic legend steering a new generation of sailors to success

No agenda, no slant. Get the picture without the commentary.

Now playing Next

No Comment videos of the week

2023 World Judo Tour kicks off in Portugal

Now playing Next

The 2023 World Judo Tour kicks off in Portugal

More than 10,000 recycled plastic bottles are used in the set and costumes for K-Ballet’s ‘Plastic’ show.

Now playing Next

Watch as ballet dancers twirl amid ‘celestial’ plastic waste set

A child casts her mother's ballot at the presidential elections runoff in Pruhonice, Czech Republic.

Now playing Next

Czech Republic heads to polls for runoff for president

People attend a candlelight vigil for Tyre Nichols, who died after being beaten by Memphis police officers.

Now playing Next

Memphis braces for release of video showing Tyre Nichols' arrest