Hungarian officials announced Friday that Bulgaria and Romania might join Europe's Schengen travel area as full members beginning in early 2025.
Despite joining the European Union in 2007, the two Balkan nations were not included in the borderless Schengen area until March, when border controls were removed for air and sea travel. Austria, which has long prevented the two nations from entering Schengen due to concerns about illicit migration, was the main source of the opposition, which kept land border checks in place.
However, Austria loosened its objection at a meeting of the interior ministers of Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania on Friday in Budapest, opening the door for a final decision by an EU interior ministers conference in December.
Romania and Bulgaria, which share borders with non-EU nations, are now "one step closer to becoming full Schengen members," according to Sándor Pintér, Hungary's interior minister, who made the announcement on Friday. The nations would have to work together to deploy at least 100 border guards to the Bulgarian-Turkish border, he continued, adding that there was a "clear opportunity" to complete the procedure by the end of the year.
In a video shared on X, EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson, who attended the meeting as well, stated: "I'm very happy today, and this is a great day to achieve the full freedom for all the citizens of Bulgaria and Romania into the Schengen area."
In 1985, the Schengen Area was created. It included Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and 23 of the 27 EU members prior to the partial admittance of Bulgaria and Romania. Every day, almost 3.5 million people cross internal borders.
According to a post on X by EU Executive Commission head Ursula von der Leyen, the two nearby nations "belong fully to the Schengen area."
"Today's fruitful informal talks in Budapest are greatly appreciated... She remarked, "Let Schengen grow stronger in 2025."
Comments