Romania and Bulgaria in the Schengen area. The European Commission issued a communication

The Commission welcomes today's unanimous decision of the Council to admit Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen area, as reported on the EC website. The procedure for including these countries will commence with the abolition of air and sea border controls from March 2024, it added. Notably, this marks the ninth Schengen expansion.

The accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen area is anticipated to stimulate trade and tourism, contributing to the further consolidation of the internal market, as reported on the European Commission website. It was added that the enlarged zone would strengthen the Union both internally and internationally.

"Today is a historic moment for Bulgaria and Romania. It is also a day of great pride for the citizens of Romania and Bulgaria"
said EC President Ursula von der Leyen.

"From March, they will be able to freely cross internal sea and air borders without border controls. This is a significant step forward for both countries and the entire Schengen area", she noted.

EC: Bulgaria and Romania are ready to join the Schengen area

The Commission confirmed for the first time the readiness of Bulgaria and Romania to join the Schengen area without internal border controls in 2011. Since then, Bulgaria and Romania have demonstrated that they meet the conditions for joining the Schengen area, as noted on the EC website.

This readiness was reconfirmed by three fact-finding missions to the external borders of Bulgaria and Romania in 2022 and 2023. In March 2023, the Commission also launched pilot projects with Romania and Bulgaria to improve the management of external borders, strengthen cooperation with neighboring countries, and ensure fast asylum procedures, it added.

As noted, this marks the ninth expansion of the Schengen area. It confirms and strengthens mutual trust and unity between the Member States on which Schengen is based and will help implement this key project.

The Schengen area is expanding, with Romania and Bulgaria joining from March 2024. Discussions on the date of the possible abolition of controls on persons at internal land borders will continue in 2024, and the Council's decision on this matter is to be taken within a reasonable timeframe, the EC said.

It added that significant financial support and Frontex assistance would continue to be provided to help Bulgaria and Romania protect the Union's external borders.

Currently, Schengen, an area without border controls, covers 27 countries and stretches over 4 million square kilometers with a population of almost 420 million people. Together with Romania and Bulgaria, the Schengen area will expand to 4.5 million square kilometers with 450 million inhabitants.

The Schengen area is an integral part of the EU legal framework. According to the treaties, all EU member states must become full members of the Schengen area when they are ready.