Austria is dropping its veto on Romania and Bulgaria becoming full members of Europe's Schengen free-travel area, its interior ministry said on Monday, paving the way for European Union interior ministers to approve the move at a meeting on Thursday.

Austria has withdrawn its opposition to Romania and Bulgaria becoming full members of Europe's Schengen free-travel area, the country's interior minister Gerhard Karner announced. This decision clears the way for European Union interior ministers to approve the move at their meeting on Thursday,

While governments urge caution, calls are rising across Europe for Syrians who fled the Assad regime to return.

Several countries, including France and Germany, have announced that they are suspending decisions on asylum applications from Syria. Far-right parties, meanwhile, have re-opened a political and legal debate on refugee deportation.

STORY: Najem al-Moussa and his family have been glued to the news of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's overthrow in their tiny Athens apartment.Although delighted he is gone, Moussa now fears his family will be forced to return to the devastated country they fled in 2015.