Romania and Bulgaria will fully join Europe’s open-borders Schengen area starting January 2025, following a key meeting in neighboring Hungary on Friday, Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu confirmed.
The two EU and NATO members gained partial entry to the 29-country Schengen zone by air and sea in March after reaching an agreement with Austria. Austria had previously opposed their full accession, citing concerns over illegal immigration, but negotiations for land access continued through 2024.
A meeting of Austrian, Romanian, and Bulgarian interior ministers will be hosted by Hungary on Friday to finalize the agreement. “The meeting on Friday is very important, that is why I agreed with Hungary’s prime minister I will go to Hungary … on the day interior ministers get together to close the final document,” Ciolacu said in an interview with private television channel Antena3. He added that the Dutch parliament, which had also opposed Bulgaria’s inclusion, must approve the final document as well.
“But we already have an agreed calendar. It will happen from Jan. 1, 2025. Those who come home for the holidays will leave much easier after,” he stated.
While Ciolacu did not specifically mention Bulgaria, both countries’ accessions have been treated as a joint process. Despite being major transit routes for illegal arms trade, drug trafficking, and human trafficking, Romania and Bulgaria have met all Schengen criteria following a thorough investigation by the European Commission.
