11:18 14 December 2024
Bulgaria and Romania to Join Schengen Area
After more than a decade of debates and opposition, EU interior ministers decided on December 12 to lift internal border controls with Bulgaria and Romania, allowing them to fully join the Schengen Area. The decision was made during the meeting of the Council for Internal Affairs, chaired by Hungary, where what Hungarian Interior Minister Sándor Pintér called the "top priority" was achieved.
However, internal border controls will remain in place on land borders between Romania and Bulgaria – as well as between Hungary and Romania – for at least six months to mitigate "potential changes in migration patterns caused by the removal of internal borders."
Bulgaria and Romania, EU members since 2007, have finally secured full access to the Schengen Area after years of opposition from several member states, particularly Austria, which has long cited concerns about migration and illegal entries.
