The war in Ukraine, the tensions with Russia and the energy crisis were mentioned by the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, in her state of the union address that she held, on Wednesday, in the European Parliament in Strasbourg. Mrs. von der Leyen also spoke about the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen area. She clearly said that the two countries deserve to be welcomed in the free movement area but she did not offer a clear solution to overcome Austria’s opposition. Romanian MEPs, regardless of political color, believe that Bucharest must put pressure on the European authorities to make Schengen possible by the end of the year.
