The first large state company to sanction Austria for keeping Romania out of Schengen / Joint initiative of all institutions subordinate to the Ministry of Transport

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  1. **The National Road Infrastructure Management Company (CNAIR) is the first major state-owned company to sanction Austria for its vote in the JHA Council, where it prevented Romania from joining Schengen. CNAIR has decided to close all its accounts with BCR, a member of Erste Group, Austria, one of the largest financial groups in Romania.**

    Transport Minister Sorin Grindeanu said on Tuesday that he has been told by CNAIR that it is to move its accounts from BCR.

    * “He announced a certain intention (editor’s note – to move his accounts from BCR) and I know they will do it, they told me too.
    * It is not the only institution under the Ministry of Transport that will do this, whether we are talking about the Port of Constanta or Bucharest Airport and all the others, because they found better conditions at CEC.
    * This is a very simple explanation”, said Sorin Grindeanu.

    Contacted by HotNews, BCR officials declined to comment.

    **”We have supported, support and will continue to support Romania’s accession to Schengen”**

    BCR reacted Thursday after Austria’s vote against Romania, BCR Group CEO Sergiu Manea said the institution “Has supported, supports and will continue to actively and unequivocally support Romania’s accession to Schengen.”

    * “We believe and invest in Romania, whether we are talking about education and financial literacy courses, or financing more than 10,000 companies that create 600,000 jobs.
    * We believe and invest in Romania when we support clients’ life plans, but also when we help them make the best decisions in the context of their financial situation.
    * We believe and invest in Romania with the help of our 5,300 BCR employees. We do this for 3 million people, our customers, who in turn believe and invest in Romania. We believe in Romania, we invest in Romania and we do our best, as a bank, to support Romania’s economy. We have done it every time we needed to and that is what we will continue to do”, said BCR Group CEO.

    The CEO of Erste Group also said on Thursday that he regrets the outcome of today’s vote in the Council.

    * “Erste Group is a European company and, in particular, a Central European company.
    * For us, believeineurope is not just a wording, it is the expression of our deep convictions. It is not just about the fact that we believe in Europe, it is about the fact that we support Europe and defend the European idea. This is especially true today, when a decision of the JHA Council has a direct impact on more than 5,000 of my colleagues and more than 2.8 million of our customers in Romania.
    * And we are convinced that only a united European Union can be a strong European Union. But a united European Union is one in which all EU citizens have the same rights and obligations. There are no second-class Member States. Our aim must therefore be that all citizens benefit equally from the freedoms of the Union. This also includes participation in the Schengen area.
    * We regret the outcome of today’s vote in the Council. Romania and Austria have many things that are closely linked together. Social, cultural and, of course, economic. Austria is one of the most important investors in Romania, and Romania is also a very important export market for Austrian companies.
    * A veto is the strongest voting position an EU member state can take. We assume that the Austrian government has weighed this step very carefully and we respect the fact that it must also take into account security concerns. Unity does not mean that all partners must always be of one mind, without any discussion. However, it is clear that this step will have very tangible consequences for millions of EU citizens. Our common goal must therefore be to find a workable solution quickly. At Erste Group, we want to and will make our contribution to this goal, so we call on political leaders at all levels to take responsibility for finding a solution,” said Willi Cernko, CEO Erste Group Bank.

    **”It rather hurts Romania”**

    After Austria’s decision, calls for Romanians to boycott Austrian-owned banks and companies in Romania began to appear on social media, with such messages being sent by politicians as well.

    The football club Universitatea Craiova announced on Thursday that it would close its accounts with Raiffeisen Bank, that it would no longer supply OMV and that it would no longer organise a summer camp in the Austrian mountains because of Austria’s “disgusting attitude”.

    One of the biggest businessmen in the west of the country, who is also one of the country’s leading farmers, Dimitrie Muscă, was quick to react. He told Agerpres on Thursday that he had ordered the closure of all his companies’ accounts with Austrian banks in protest at Austria’s position.

    Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer, who blocked Romania’s entry into Schengen, reacted to calls from Romania to boycott Austrian-owned companies, saying such moves would primarily affect our country.

    The Austrian chancellor made the remarks in an interview with the public broadcaster ORF.

    Karl Nehammer said he was “convinced” that Austria’s veto in the JHA Council, which left Romania and Bulgaria outside Schengen, would have no consequences for Austrian companies in the two countries.

    He said that a possible boycott of Austrian companies in Romania would harm Romania rather than Austria, as they bring money into the country and provide jobs.

    “A distinction must be made here: one is a matter of security policy and the other is a matter of economic policy,” the Austrian chancellor said.

  3. The total value of their contracts will ammount to about 18 billion RON (~3,65 billion EUR) by the end of this year, so this is pretty big imo.

  5. This is good putting pressure on Austria, but in the end even if Austria changes its mind it wouldn’t really matter because the Netherlands will still block Bulgaria, which automatically blocks Romania as well, since we are a package. So, yeah…

  6. This is a huge blow, the contracts for the end of the year are worth 3.6 billion, and the investment in road infrastructure in the next few years is going to be massive so this is dozens of billions over the course of the next few years, and a big deal for a Romanian bank.

  8. Austrian’s and other people watching this thing and accusing Romania of being childish are looking at the situation through their own eyes and point of view. Some maybe only now learning about this whole Schengen mess.

    Besides the fact that it’s been already 11 years and the rest, Romania is a Latin country, it’s fire and flame, it’s drama, it’s passion. It’s being loud and showing it to the world, it’s in the goddamn national anthem.

    Arrogance does not fly well, being ignored or given bs explanation, keeping the press away.

    Let me tell you a little story, back in 2014 in the presidential vote, Klaus Iohannis was in the second place with little chance of winning. In the first tour of the elections, Romanians living outside Romania were pretty much forbidden from voting.

    The ruling party at that time made elections outside Romania, a pain in the ass. You had to wait 6-7 hours and you still weren’t sure if you were going to vote. They were mocking the expats. The news spread in Romania like wildfire, this was the death sentence for the ruling party and their candidate. Everybody got so pissed at this arrogance and injustice that Iohannis won the election.

    How he is as a president is a different ~~plant~~ story but the moral is, be careful how you treat others because they might just turn on you.

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