Bulgaria and Romania are to become part of the European Union’s Schengen area from March 2024, with the lifting of all controls at air and sea borders.
According to the EU, the lifting of land border controls will be discussed and decided on later in the year. The move will enable both people and businesses to benefit from their rights to freedom of movement in entering Bulgaria and Romania.
Both countries began the process of becoming part of the Schengen area back in 2011, and have ‘continued to demonstrate that they fulfil the conditions for becoming Schengen members’ in the period since.
Security, police, and judicial cooperation measures have also been implemented in these two countries to protect the EU against security threats.
Ninth Schengen expansion
The latest expansion of the Schengen area – the ninth in the EU‘s history – is expected to enhance travel, trade, and tourism while reinforcing the internal market.
‘The border-free Schengen area guarantees free movement to close to 450 million EU citizens, along with non-EU nationals living in the EU or visiting the EU,’ the European Commission said on its official news portal, commission.europa.eu.
‘Free movement of persons means every EU citizen can travel, work and live in an EU country without special formalities. The Schengen area underpins this freedom by allowing citizens to move around the Schengen area without any border checks.’
Bulgaria and Romania officially joined the EU on 1 January 2007.
