BUCHAREST: After a 13-year wait, Bulgaria and Romania are set to partially join Europe’s expansive Schengen area of free movement, enabling travel by air and sea without border checks starting Sunday, a move hailed as “historic.”
However, land border controls will remain due to Austria’s opposition to full membership for fear of potential asylum seeker influxes from these Eastern European countries.
Although this partial entry signifies a significant step, the removal of controls at air and sea borders carries symbolic importance, marking a milestone for Bulgaria and Romania in their European Union journey, noted foreign policy analyst Stefan Popescu.
Ursula von der Leyen, EU chief, praised this development, highlighting the growth of the Schengen area into a stronger and more united Europe with 29 members, including Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein.
While both countries aim for full integration into Schengen by year-end, truck drivers facing prolonged border queues express concerns and financial losses, calling for swift measures to ease the transition.
Bulgarian businesses also voice frustration over slow progress, particularly in land transport.
Romanian Interior Minister Catalin Predoiu affirmed the irreversible nature of this process, stating that full integration, including land borders, must be achieved by 2024.
