At their meeting in Brussels on Wednesday, the ambassadors of the EU member states agreed on the full membership of Bulgaria and Romania in the Schengen area from January 1, 2025. It was announced by the Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the EU on the X network. The EU interior ministers should formally confirm the agreement at their meeting on December 12. TASR informs about it based on the report of the APA agency.
“After last week’s successful ministerial meeting in Budapest, where Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania and Austria agreed on a package of measures regarding border protection, today is a key step towards European integration. Coreper (Permanent Representatives Committee) has completed the preparation of the EU Council decision on the abolition of internal land border controls with Bulgaria and Romania from 1 January 2025. Formal adoption is expected on 12 December at the Council of Ministers of Justice and the Interior,” the Hungarian presidency said.
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis welcomed the decision of the ambassadors. “Today is an important moment for Romania! EU ambassadors approved Romania’s full accession to Schengen, including land borders, from January 1, 2025. The December Council of Ministers will formalize this long-awaited decision, which all Romanian citizens are rightfully waiting for.” wrote the head of state on the X network.
Created in 1985, the Schengen area allows more than 400 million people to travel freely without internal border controls. The area is named after the Schengen Agreement of 1985 and the Schengen Convention of 1990, which were signed in the Luxembourg municipality of Schengen. It currently has 29 members.
The European Commission stated already in 2011 that Romania and Bulgaria are ready to join the Schengen area. However, for various reasons, it was first blocked by the Netherlands and Finland, later by Germany and Austria. Last week, Austria retreated from its rejectionist stance, justified by insufficient border protection against illegal migrants.
