In an interview with the public Austrian television ORF, Austrian Minister of the Interior, Gerhard Karner, reaffirmed his firm position against the expansion of the Schengen area, BTA has reported. 

To a comment from journalists that Bulgaria and Romania have fulfilled the conditions set for them to enter Schengen and that the position of imposing a veto has been sharply criticized by the European Parliament, the President of the European Commission and the President of Austria, Karner replied: "As Minister of the Interior, my task is to endure this criticism. I am responsible for the security in the country. It is also a fact that I saw the fence along the border between Bulgaria and Turkey. I was together with the federal chancellor on the spot and it is clear that there is still a lot of work that needs to be done."