Bulgaria and Romania enter Schengen: Borders now open
On 1 January 2025, border controls on the land borders with Bulgaria and Romania were lifted. Both countries have been striving to join the full Schengen Area since they joined the EU in 2007.
Romania and Bulgaria joined the EU and adopted some of the Schengen regulations, including those concerning controls at the EU's external borders, police cooperation, and using the Schengen Information System. However, they were not full members of the zone.
At the end of December 2023, the member states decided to implement the remaining Schengen provisions in these countries and to abolish the controls at the EU's internal air and sea borders from 31 March 2024. Due to this decision, on 1 January, land border controls with Bulgaria and Romania disappeared.
Romania and Bulgaria available without obstacles
For a long time, Austria's opposition blocked the full opening of borders with other countries that form the area of free movement of people, goods, services, and capital. However, in November, the interior ministers of Austria, Bulgaria, and Romania reached an agreement on this issue in Budapest.
Schengen is the world's largest free travel zone. For the first time, border controls were abolished in 1985 between France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. The zone currently includes 29 countries (25 of the 27 EU member states, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland) inhabited by 420 million people. So far, internal border controls with Cyprus have not yet been lifted, and Ireland is not part of Schengen.
