Romania and Bulgaria on Verge of Full Schengen Membership

Romania and Bulgaria are poised to become full members of the EU's Schengen zone by January 2025, pending approval from EU interior ministers next month. Having initially joined Schengen partially in March, the two nations have continued discussions with Austria over land entry, advancing significantly towards full integration.

Hungary announced Friday that Romania and Bulgaria might join Europe's borderless Schengen travel zone fully by January 2025. The decision will be finalized during a forthcoming meeting of EU interior ministers. Initially, these nations joined Schengen partly in March after an agreement with Austria, which initially was against their full accession due to concerns about illegal immigration.

While air and sea border checks between Romania, Bulgaria, and the other 27 member countries were removed, negotiations with Austria over land entry have persisted throughout 2024. Hungarian Interior Minister Sandor Pinter confirmed in a news conference the strides made by the two countries towards full membership.

A crucial security package will be introduced at the EU interior ministers meeting on December 11, including deploying 100 border guards between Turkey and Bulgaria. Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu emphasized the importance of the Budapest meeting for finalizing their Schengen entry, noting that Dutch parliamentary approval is also needed.

(With inputs from agencies.)