Romania’s Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu, declared that Romania will join the Schengen Area for land borders on January 1, 2025. Ciolacu thanked everyone involved in a joint statement with Hungary’s Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, for significant progress in Budapest.
Romania and Bulgaria head for Schengen as two members together. Bulgaria and Romania also receive full access to Schengen. On November 22, Ciolacu met Orban and the interior ministers of Austria, Bulgaria, and Hungary to discuss creating a joint package for full Schengen integration for Romania and Bulgaria.
Romania and Bulgaria took to the air and sea Schengen membership on March 31, 2024. At first, Austria prevented access to the land borders of both countries owing to apprehension regarding irregular migration. After this, however, Austria lifted its veto at the Budapest meeting, opening access to full membership.
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According to a Hungarian government spokesperson, the interior ministers struck a deal that cleared the last hurdle for Romania and Bulgaria to become land border-acceding countries. It is expected that this will be formalized in the next EU Council for Justice and Home Affairs meeting on December 12-13.
According to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Romania and Bulgaria have met all requirements to secure full Schengen membership. From January 1 onwards, Romania will join Schengen Area by land, air, and sea, pending EU interior ministers’ approval. The European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, and European Parliament President Roberta Metsola are hopeful about the decision, underlining the significance of a stronger Schengen towards a stronger Europe.