Romania and Bulgaria partially join Europe’s Schengen travel zone, but checks at land borders remain
Austria vetoed Romania and Bulgaria’s admission into the Schengen zone at the end of 2022 but allowed Croatia full accession. Bulgaria and Romania joined the EU in 2007 and Croatia in 2013.
Siegfried Muresan, a Romanian Member of the European Parliament, told The Associated Press that it is “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 it a “well-deserved achievement" for Romania that he said will benefit citizens who can travel more easily and will bolster the economy.
“We have a clear and firmly assumed government plan for full accession to the Schengen Area by the end of the year," he said. The EU’s executive branch, the European Commission, has said for more than a decade that Romania and Bulgaria both meet the technical criteria for full accession, which requires unanimous support from their partners.
Both countries have agreed to implement random security screening at airports and maritime borders to combat illegal migration and cross-border crime. “Bulgaria’s full accession to Schengen will happen by the end of 2024," Kalin Stoyanov, Bulgaria's interior minister, told reporters on Sunday.
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