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Schengen: strain on Austrian-Hungarian relations

01 November 1996

Within the next year Austria has to upgrade its security and control systems along its eastern border and at airports in order to meet the criteria of the Schengen Agreement - planned to come into force in October 1997. In order to be connected to the Schengen Information System (SIS) a central computer system has to be established in Vienna that will be connected to the SIS office in Strasbourg as well as to all the border crossing points and airports in Austria. Increased external border controls will particularly effect Austria's east european neighbour states. An experiment on 12 March 1996 along the Austrian-Hungarian border to mimic Schengen conditions not only led to waiting times for up to 9 hours at the checkpoints but also to the personal intervention by the Hungarian Prime Minister to his Austrian counterpart. Working commissions have been established to discuss solutions including joint personnel training and EU aid. Hungary demands special conditions because the Schengen Agreement invalidates five recently signed bilateral agreements to facilitate border traffic. Furthermore, Hungary fears that the Schengen Agreement will lead to big economic losses through the collapse of holiday and shopping tourism. Assurances by the Hungarian government that its eastern borders are tightly controlled are countered by Austrian officials who claim an alarming increase of "illegal" immigration via Hungary over the last 3 months. Weltwoche, 7.11.96.