Austria makes conditional 'Air Schengen' offer to Bulgaria, Romania

FILE PHOTO: Austrian police officers attend an exercise to prevent migrants from crossing the Austrian border from Hungary in Nickelsdorf, Austria, July 2, 2020. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner/File Photo

VIENNA (Reuters) - 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.

At a meeting of the bloc's interior ministers a year ago at which the two eastern European countries had hoped to get the green light to join the world's largest free-travel area, Austria said illegal immigration was still too high and Romania and Bulgaria needed to do more to prevent it before joining.