BRUSSELS, Belgium: After years of negotiations, Romania and Bulgaria partially joined Europe’s ID-check-free travel area, Schengen, on March 31, marking a new stage in their integration with the European Union (EU).
However, mainly due to opposition from Austria, which expressed illegal migration concerns, land border checks will remain in place, but travelers arriving by air or sea from both countries will now have free access within the zone.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the move was a “huge success for both countries” and a “historic moment.”
Austria vetoed Romania and Bulgaria’s admission into the world’s largest free travel zone at the end of 2022 but allowed to Croatia fully join.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Siegfried Muresan, Romanian Member of the European Parliament, said the move was “an important first step” that will benefit millions of travelers annually.
“Bulgaria and Romania have been fulfilling all criteria for joining the Schengen area for years. We are entitled to join with the terrestrial border as well,” he said, adding that it “will offer additional arguments to the last EU member state that has been vetoing the full accession.”
Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu called the move a “well-deserved achievement” for Romania. It will benefit citizens by allowing them to travel more easily and boost the country’s economy.
“We have a clear and firmly assumed government plan for full accession to the Schengen Area by the end of the year,” Ciolacu said.
The European Commission, the EU’s executive branch, said that for more than a decade, Romania and Bulgaria have both met the technical criteria for full accession, which requires unanimous support from formal member countries.
He added that both countries have agreed to implement random security screening at airports and maritime borders to combat illegal migration and cross-border crime.
On March 31, Kalin Stoyanov, Bulgaria’s interior minister, said, “Bulgaria’s full accession to Schengen will happen by the end of 2024. We showed and continue to show to illegal migrants that they should not take the road to Europe through Bulgaria.”
