Bulgaria, Romania officially become part of Europe's Schengen area for free movement

Bulgaria and Romania have officially joined Europe's Schengen area for free movement, allowing seamless travel by air and sea without border checks.

This development follows a 13-year wait for admission to the zone.

However, the membership is only partial because of Austria's veto, which prevents the new membership from applying to land routes.

Austria argued that this measure was necessary to avoid an influx of asylum seekers into Europe.

With Bulgaria and Romania joining, the Schengen zone now includes 29 members, 25 EU countries, and Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.

Romania has stated that Schengen rules will be enforced at four seaports and 17 airports, including Otopeni, Bucharest's largest airport.

To support passengers, there will be an increase in border police and immigration officers, and random checks will be conducted to detect individuals with fraudulent documents.

In January 2023, Croatia became the 27th member of the Schengen area, surpassing Romania and Bulgaria, despite joining the EU later.

Source: Newsroom