Bulgaria and Romania’s full entry into Schengen this Wednesday marks the culmination of years of negotiations by Eastern European countries.
Bulgaria you Romania are officially full members Schengen area. This Wednesday, on the first day of 2025, the interim prime minister of Bulgaria, Dimitar GlavchevHe symbolically removed the border barrier between Bulgaria and Greece at the Kulata Pass.
Glavchev expressed his gratitude to “the Border Police, the Army, Frontex personnel and all our allies in the European Union”, adding that “together we will protect much better external borders” Block 27. On Tuesday, shortly before midnight, ceremonies commemorating full participation It is the result of years of negotiations by Eastern European countries for Bulgaria and Romania to join the anonymous travel zone.
ID checks at the land borders between Bulgaria and Romania and neighboring European Union member states officially stopped at midnight and travelers are now allowed in freely accessible by land To the remaining States of the EU’s 27-member bloc. The two countries partially joined the Schengen area in March, but open travel was limited to those arriving by air or sea.
late on Tuesday, Ministers of Internal Affairs of Bulgaria and Romania they met there Ruse-Giurgiu border crossing A ceremony was held to commemorate the opening of the border between the two countries. Another short ceremony was held at the border crossing between Hungary and Romania, with a meeting held between the Chief of the Hungarian National Police and the Chief Inspector of the Romanian Border Police.
Schengen expansion follows the re-establishment of controls that could undermine Schengen objectives
The expansion comes after months of efforts by the German Government to include Bulgaria and Romania in the Schengen area. HungaryHe held the six-month rotating presidency of the EU.
The Schengen area, one of the main achievements of the European project, Founded in 1985 As an intergovernmental project between five EU countries: France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. gradually expanded until it became world’s largest free movement area.
However, some Schengen member countries, including the Netherlands, Austria and Germany, have reinstated some practices. land border controls for a variety of reasons, from immigration to security. Some EU officials warn against resumption of checks Can damage space targets.
Before the partial admission of Bulgaria and Romania, Schengen covered 23 of the EU’s 27 member states, together with Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. Approximately 3.5 million people cross the internal border every day and More than 420 million people live in the Schengen area.
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