Romania, Bulgaria to Join Schengen Area on 1 January

On 12 December, the EU Council decided to abolish controls at the land borders with Bulgaria and Romania from 1 January 2025, the EU Council press service reports.

Sandor Pinter, the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Hungary, which currently holds the EU presidency, called the decision a ‘historic moment’.

‘The abolition of checks on persons at internal land borders with and between these member states has been a key priority of the Hungarian presidency, and today we have made it a reality. This step will benefit not only the citizens of Bulgaria and Romania, but also the EU as a whole,’ he said.

At the end of 2023, the EU reached a consensus on the ‘partial’ accession of both countries to Schengen, which included the removal of checks at airports and seaports. The decision came into force on 30 March 2024.

The countries' full accession to the EU became possible after Austria gave the green light after a months-long blockade.

Back in 2010, Romania and Bulgaria fulfilled all the technical criteria for joining the Schengen area, but faced resistance from Austria and the Netherlands, which cited allegedly insufficient measures to curb illegal migration.

As The Gaze previously reported, at a meeting on 27 November, the EU's permanent representatives agreed to allow Bulgaria and Romania to join the Schengen area in full.