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Saturday, Jul 12, 2025

EU Approves Romania and Bulgaria's Entry into Schengen Area After Decade-Long Blockage

Austria lifts its veto in exchange for enhanced border controls, facilitating the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen Zone.
The European Union has unanimously approved the full entry of Romania and Bulgaria into the Schengen Area, set to take effect on January 1, 2025. This decision comes after over a decade of delays and obstacles, primarily due to concerns regarding security and immigration pressures.

The approval was facilitated by Austria lifting its veto on the accession of the two countries.

On November 22, 2024, the Austrian government reached a trilateral agreement with Romania and Bulgaria, which allowed for the resolution of its blockade.

In exchange for its agreement, Austria required strengthened controls along the border between Bulgaria and Turkey.

A contingent of 100 border guards from multiple nations will be deployed as part of these measures.

Additionally, border controls will be established between Hungary and Romania, as well as Romania and Bulgaria, for an initial period of at least six months.

With the inclusion of Romania and Bulgaria, the Schengen Area now encompasses 29 countries, which includes 25 of the 27 European Union member states along with Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland.

This area is home to a combined population of 420 million people, solidifying it as the largest free movement zone globally.

Meanwhile, controls at the borders with Cyprus remain in place, and Ireland has opted out of joining the Schengen Zone.

The admission of Romania and Bulgaria occurs during a period of crisis within the Schengen framework, as ten EU member states, including Germany, France, and Italy, have reinstated internal border controls in efforts to curb irregular immigration.

This reinstatement has continued despite ongoing requests from Brussels to minimize such controls.

The Spanish Interior Minister, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, a long-time advocate for Romania and Bulgaria’s accession, expressed satisfaction with the agreement, stating that the European Union owed this decision to both countries.

Earlier, under Spain's presidency of the EU, the member states had already agreed on December 30, 2023, to eliminate border controls at air and sea points with Romania and Bulgaria, though land borders remained under scrutiny.

The European Commission has maintained that Romania and Bulgaria have met all necessary criteria for Schengen membership since 2011. This includes effective border management, compliance with uniform Schengen visa protocols, cooperation with security forces of other nations, and connectivity with all requisite data systems.

However, several countries, notably the Netherlands and Austria, remained skeptical of the favorable assessment from Brussels.

Their concerns centered on potential issues related to border controls and the perceived security threats that could arise from admitting Romania and Bulgaria into Schengen.

The Netherlands had lifted its veto approximately a year prior, leaving Austria as the final holdout until now.
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