Bulgaria and Romania will partially join the Schengen area by the end of March, the Council of the European Union announced today.
The 27 EU member states unanimously agreed to lift controls at the air and sea borders of the two countries from March 31, 2024, according to a press release. It is clarified that the selected date aligns with the transition from winter routes to those scheduled for the summer by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
The 27 will have to take a new decision to choose the date for the lifting of controls at the land borders of Romania and Bulgaria, as pointed out in the press release of the Council of the EU, a body representing the Member States of the European Union.
The European Commission welcomed the decision that was taken after at least 12 years of negotiations. “It marks a historic moment for Bulgaria and Romania and a day of great pride for Bulgarian and Romanian citizens,” said Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The Commission recalls that since 2011 it considered that these two countries were ready to join the Schengen area.
Today is a day of great pride for Bulgaria and Romania.
The decision to lift internal air and sea border checks with 🇧🇬🇷🇴 is a major step forward for them and for the Schengen area.
Both have worked hard for it.
They both deserve it.
They will make Schengen even stronger. pic.twitter.com/PcwS3WkjGC
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) December 30, 2023
Austria had vetoed it last year, complaining about the increased number of irregular migrants arriving on its territory, before finally agreeing to lift it in exchange for guarantees.
Sofia and Bucharest agreed to fight irregular immigration more decisively in a joint statement signed on Saturday with the Austrian government. At the same time, Bulgaria and Romania committed to fully implement European legislation that provides that asylum applications are processed in the country of arrival of migrants.
Romania and Bulgaria, members of the European Union since 2007, were not admitted at the end of 2022 to this vast zone, within which 400 million people can travel freely without internal border controls.
The Schengen area for the free movement of people and goods was created in 1985 and includes 23 of the 27 member countries of the European Union, as well as Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein.
