Eurobarometer: Austrians affected by Schengen controls --[Reported by Umva mag]

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Brussels – Austria’s citizens as well as businesses feel more affected by the (temporary) controls at the Schengen borders between the EU states than the EU average: According to two Eurobarometer surveys published on Tuesday, more than half of the Austrian respondents said they had already experienced internal border controls, compared to 28 percent EU-wide. A fifth of Austrian companies were affected, compared to 7 percent EU-wide.

Numerous countries have reintroduced (temporary) controls at their internal borders due to security concerns, including Austria, Germany, and Italy. The state of the Schengen Area is also on the agenda for the meeting of EU interior ministers on Thursday in Luxembourg. Austria is currently blocking the full admission of Bulgaria and Romania, which have been members of “Air Schengen” since the end of March. Controls at air and sea borders were thus lifted.

More than six out of ten respondents in the EU and Austria believe that the EU should strengthen cooperation within the Schengen Area. Around half in both the EU and Austria are aware of the measures (e.g., border controls, border surveillance, constant information exchange) that the EU countries must implement to protect their external borders. Two-thirds of Europeans and 60 percent of Austrian survey participants consider these effective. However, half of all people demand investments in technological solutions for better protection of external borders.

The Schengen project is viewed positively in the economy: Around 80 percent of all companies surveyed in the EU and Austria see advantages for their country in participating in the Schengen Area, and just as many consider Schengen to be one of the main achievements of the EU. Benefits for their own company are seen by 69 percent of European businesspeople, and even 80 percent of domestic ones.

EU-wide, around 26,000 people were surveyed for the Eurobarometer survey on citizens’ attitudes towards Schengen in March and April 2024, including around 1,000 in Austria. For the companies’ stance, nearly 13,000 interviews were conducted EU-wide in the same period, including 503 in Austria. (09.10.2024)

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