Romania would have access to the Schengen land border by the end of December, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said, according to Euractiv.
Ciolacu said COREPER could decide on Romania and Bulgaria joining Schengen with land borders early next month. This would mean that controls at land borders would be abolished in March, allowing Romanians to travel across the EU without border controls by Easter 2025, 20 April.
During the Easter holidays, Romanians will very likely be able to travel within the Schengen Area.
Interior Minister Cătălin Predoiu welcomed the statement of Magnus Brunner, Austria’s appointed Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration, during a hearing in the European Parliament’s LIBE committee. Brunner spoke in favour of Romania and Bulgaria joining the Schengen land border area as soon as possible.
Discussions and negotiations are still ongoing.
At the same hearing, Bulgarian MEP Emil Radev expressed concern about the need for additional funding for border security in countries like Bulgaria.
