Austria has softened its veto on the Schengen accession of Romania and Bulgaria by proposing the abolition of border checks at airports. View on euronews

Austria, which has led opposition within the European Union to Romania and Bulgaria joining the Schengen open-travel area, said on Monday it was willing to relent but only on plane travel and in exchange for tighter security at the EU's external border.

Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov clarified that ongoing negotiations with Austria have yet to yield a finalized agreement for Bulgaria's accession to Schengen by air. Speaking to bTV, Denkov emphasized the necessity for compliance with general European regulations,

Austria may be willing to relax its veto on expanding the European Union’s passport-control-free Schengen zone to Romania and Bulgaria, proposing access for air travel to and from the two countries.Most Read from BloombergBitcoin’s 2023 Rally Frays During Brief 7.