On January 1, controls at land borders with Bulgaria and Romania were abolished. Both countries have sought to join the full Schengen area since joining the European Union in 2007.
By joining the EU, Romania and Bulgaria have adopted some of the Schengen rules, including on controls at the Union's external borders, cooperation between police services and the use of the Schengen information system. However, they were not full members of the zone.
Bulgaria and Romania in “full Schengen”
At the end of December 2023, the Member States adopted a decision to introduce the remaining Schengen provisions in these countries and to abolish controls at internal EU borders in the air and at sea from March 31, 2024. Thanks to this decision, on January 1, controls at the land borders with Bulgaria and Romania also disappeared.
Opposition for a long time Austria blocked the full opening of borders with other countries that create an area of free movement of people, goods, services and capital. However, in November in Budapest, the interior ministers of Austria, Bulgaria and Romania reached an agreement on this issue.
The Schengen area in the EU
Schengen is the largest free travel area in the world. Border controls were first abolished in 1985 between France, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg.
Schengen areaEuropean Commission
The zone currently covers 29 countries (25 of the 27 member states as well IcelandLiechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland), inhabited by a total of 420 million people. So far, internal border controls with Cyprus have not been abolished, and Ireland is not part of Schengen.
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