The Migration Crisis in the European Union and the Postponement of Romania’s Accession to the Schengen Area

The current major challenge facing the European Union is the phenomenon of migration, with its deep-rooted causes, illegal migration routes, and socio-economic consequences being highly topical issues that require strong interventions, as they bring to the forefront not only inherent costs but also the criminality that accompanies this phenomenon. At the last EU Council meeting for Justice and Home Affairs in December 2022, the admission of Croatia to the Schengen area was approved, while surprisingly, Romania and Bulgaria were rejected. In this context, it is of great interest to analyze the real dimension and concern surrounding the migration phenomenon that led to Austria’s vote against Romania, even though analyzed data presents a different situation, indicating that Bulgaria and Croatia are among the main transit countries, while Romania is only secondary. However, the real problem Austria is facing is a common challenge that must be addressed by the European Union through cooperation between the three categories of countries involved: member states, transit countries, and countries of origin.