Romania and Bulgaria reached an agreement with Austria on Wednesday to join Europe’s Schengen zone of free movement by sea and air in March 2024, Euractiv reports.
Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu wrote on Facebook:
After 13 years, Romania is finally going to join Schengen! We have a political agreement on this.
Romania’s Interior Ministry said in a statement that the three countries had reached a “political agreement” to extend the zone “to the air and maritime borders” of Romania and Bulgaria “from March 2024”. The opening of the land borders will be considered next year.
Austria, which vetoed the two countries’ entry a year ago, floated the idea of a so-called “air Schengen” in early December. It has said it is willing to relax air rules for Bulgaria and Romania if Brussels strengthens the EU’s external borders.
Romania and Bulgaria, EU members since 2007, have been ready to join Schengen since 2011, according to the Commission. However, their entry into the borderless zone, through which more than 400 million people can travel freely, has met resistance from some member states.
Their bid was vetoed in 2022 by Austria, which has complained for years that it has to put up with a disproportionate amount of illegal immigration due to Schengen’s poorly secured external borders.
The Netherlands also vetoed Bulgaria’s accession, but this was lifted after a vote in the Dutch parliament on 21 December.
The Schengen area was created in 1985 and includes 23 of the 27 EU member states, as well as their neighbours Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.
