Romania and Bulgaria Join the Schengen Area

With these countries, EU borders are already partially open. As of the night of March 31, border control has completely ceased to function at Romania's and Bulgaria's air and sea borders with the EU. However, checks will continue at land borders. The decision to completely lift the controls must be made by the EU Council. Sofia and Bucharest hope that the final decision will be made by the end of the year.

Previously, Austria had vetoed the full membership of Romania and Bulgaria in the Schengen Area, expressing concerns about potential flows of refugees coming from these countries to the EU. Negotiations between the states are ongoing.

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, congratulated Romania and Bulgaria on joining the 'Schengen family.' She emphasized that this is a significant achievement for the peoples of both countries and also benefits millions of EU citizens across Europe. “We are making the Schengen Area stronger,” the European Commission President highlighted.

Bulgaria and Romania joined the European Union in 2007, and by 2011 the European Commission had expressed willingness to integrate the countries into the Schengen Area. However, EU members have blocked this decision year after year over concerns related to corruption in Bulgaria and Romania, as well as fears that the border would not be properly secured.