Seventeen years after Romania and Bulgaria joined the European Union, they have been given the green light to become members of its border-free Schengen travel zone. The decision by EU Member States means that from 1 January 2025, it will be possible to drive all the way to Spain or Norway without a passport.
It’s a moment of huge relief for the 25 million people who live in Romania and Bulgaria, and who will finally feel accepted as full members of the EU. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said it was a “day of joy”. Although border checks were lifted on travel by air and sea for the two countries last March, it was only last month that Austria lifted its resistance to ending border checks by land.
Romania and Bulgaria have been EU members since 2007 and have filled the requirements to enter Schengen since 2010. However, over the years various member states have objected to their accession over migration concerns.
Since 2022, Austria in particular was holding out on approval. Nevertheless, Vienna had already signalled ahead of December’s vote that it would not veto the decision. This is in part due to a pact wherein Bulgaria agreed to deploy more border guards to its frontier with Turkey.
Created in 1985, the Schengen zone now comprises 29 members – 25 of the 27 European Union Member States plus Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. It is the world’s biggest area without internal border controls, where more than 400 million people can travel freely inside the zone.
