Bulgaria and Romania to Join Schengen Area Fully by January 2025
Bulgaria and Romania will fully integrate into the Schengen Area on January 1, 2025, the Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union announced on Thursday, CE Report quotes BTA
The decision means border checks at the land Schengen borders of both countries will be lifted from that date. This follows the removal of air and sea border checks in March 2024, implemented after a decision by the Spanish EU Presidency on December 30, 2023.
The Hungarian Presidency called the move “a historic moment” and “a great victory for Bulgaria, Romania, and all of Europe.” The presidency emphasized that removing internal land border checks has been a key priority, describing it as a step that will benefit citizens of both countries and strengthen the EU as a whole.
Schengen, the world’s largest free travel area, initially removed border checks between France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg in 1985. It now includes 29 countries, encompassing 420 million people. However, Cyprus still faces internal border controls, and Ireland remains outside the Schengen framework.
