The EU to approve full admission of Bulgaria and Romania to Schengen

The EU countries are close to approving Bulgaria and Romania’s full admission to the Schengen area, despite long-standing opposition from several nations who cited illegal migration issues.

The European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the “positive result” of Bulgaria and Romania’s final accession to the Schengen area following informal discussions held on Friday in the capital of Hungary, which holds the EU Council presidency.

“Bulgaria and Romania belong fully to the Schengen area. Removing internal controls at land borders is the last hurdle. I welcome the positive outcome of informal discussions in Budapest today. The EU Council formal decision is next. Let 2025 see Schengen become stronger,” Ursula von der Leyen wrote. 

“I welcome today’s positive developments regarding the full accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen area… I look forward to the final decision in the coming days,” said European Parliament President Roberta Metsola.

On Friday, November 22, Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner confirmed his country’s readiness to approve Romania and Bulgaria’s full accession to the Schengen area.

Karner announced Austria’s green light for Schengen expansion after signing a “border protection package” with the heads of the Romanian and Bulgarian Interior Ministries.

The agreement provides for the joint deployment of border guards on the Bulgarian-Turkish border, as well as temporary border control on land routes “for a certain period of time.”

In December 2022, EU interior ministers failed to approve Bulgaria and Romania’s accession to the Schengen area. Austria and the Netherlands voted against the approval, arguing that these countries were not doing enough to curb illegal migration.

Back in 2010, Romania and Bulgaria fulfilled all the technical criteria for joining the Schengen area but faced resistance over allegedly insufficient measures to prevent illegal migration.

Eventually, in 2023, a consensus emerged on the “partial” accession of both countries to Schengen, which implies the removal of checks at airports and seaports. The decision was enforced on March 30, 2024.