The full accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen Zone would fulfil a priority of Hungary as the current holder of the rotating presidency of the European Union Council.
Such comments have been made by the Minister for European Union Affairs, János Bóka, Schengen.News reports.
Bóka said that an official decision in this regard may come at a meeting of EU interior ministers scheduled to be held on December 12.
The minister said that a full Schengen accession for Romania and Bulgaria may come on January 1, 2025.
Austria Changed Its Stance for Full Schengen Membership of Romania & Bulgaria
In the meeting between interior ministers of Austria, Romania, and Bulgaria on November 22, which was hosted by Hungary, an agreement that would pave the way for full Schengen membership of Romania and Bulgaria was reached.
The support of Austria for full Schengen accession of these two Balkan countries removes the last obstacle to the finalisation of this process.
Romania and Bulgaria entered the Schengen Zone partially on March 31, 2024, by air and sea, but not also through land borders.
Irregular migration concerns were among the reasons cited by Vienna that led to delays in the Schengen membership of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen Zone, in spite of both countries meeting the technical requirements since 2011.
In the case of Bulgaria, the process was also opposed by the Netherlands. However, the support of Austria and the Netherlands for full Schengen membership brings Romania and Bulgaria one step closer to achieving their much sought-after goal.
Following the meeting of November 22, the Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orban, said that all criteria have been met for full Schengen accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen Zone.
Since Romania and Bulgaria are a package deal on their journey towards Schengen integration, the full Schengen accession of Romania means the same for Bulgaria.
Source: https://schengen.news/full-schengen-accession-for-romania-bulgaria-would-fulfil-a-priority-of-hungary-minister-boka-says/
