Romania and Bulgaria will become full members of the Schengen Zone from January 2025, the Prime Minister of Romania, Marcel Ciolacu, has said.
His comments came following a meeting with authorities in Hungary, the current holder of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, Schengen.News reports.
In addition, on November 18, 2024, Austrian Minister of Interior Gerhard Karner met with his counterpart from Romania, Catalin Predoiu, in Vienna.
The ministers have been preparing for the meeting on November 22, which will be held between the interior ministers of Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, and Austria. The ministers will discuss topics such as external border protection and the fight against organized human trafficking.
The upcoming meeting also aims to develop a joint package and take additional measures following Romania and Bulgaria’s partial membership to Schengen.
Romanian PM Marcel Ciolacu said that the Dutch parliament, which had previously opposed the accession of Bulgaria to Schengen, will need to approve the document.
Netherlands & Austria Clear Path for Full Schengen Membership for Romania & Bulgaria
Romania and Bulgaria applied for Schengen accession on January 1, 2007. The two Balkan countries became part of the European Union on the same day.
In spite of meeting technical conditions since 2011 for Schengen membership, the process was opposed by Austria, citing irregular migration concerns, and in the case of Bulgaria, the accession was also opposed by the Netherlands.
However, in December 2023, the Dutch government submitted to the parliament a decision to support the accession of Sofia to the Schengen Area.
Austria, on the other hand, blocked the accession of the two countries to the EU’s borderless area. However, its proposal, “Air Schengen,” granted partial accession to these two countries.
Romania and Bulgaria entered the Schengen Area by air and sea on March 31, 2024, but not through land borders.
Last month, Austria’s Minister of the Interior, Gerhard Karner, said that time has yet to arrive for full Schengen accession for Romania and Bulgaria.
However, a recent report from the Austrian newspaper Kurier said that Vienna will be paving the way for land border accession for Romania and Bulgaria by spring 2025.
Recently, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) called on the European Union Council to set a date for full Schengen accession.
Source: https://schengen.news/romania-bulgaria-to-enter-schengen-via-land-borders-from-january-2025-romanian-pm-says/
