For the first six months, random checks of travelers will be conducted at the border to prevent criminal activity.
Bulgaria and Romania have abolished European Union border checks and officially joined the Schengen area. This was reported by Euronews on Wednesday, January 1.
“When the clock struck midnight, Bulgarian Interior Minister Atanas Ilkov and Romanian Interior Minister Ketelin Predoy at the border checkpoint on the Danube Bridge officially opened the right to free movement within the Schengen zone, a borderless region of Europe,” said of the statement.
Until now, residents of these countries had to wait in long lines at 30 land borders between Romania and Bulgaria while waiting for official checks. Today, 25 million residents of these two countries join the nearly 450 million EU citizens who can move freely within the Schengen area.
However, for at least the first six months, there will be random checks of travelers at the border to prevent criminal activity, with a particular focus on large vehicles.
Also, Bulgaria’s border with Turkey, as the external border of the European Union, from the new year becomes the external border of the Schengen zone, which from January 2 will begin to be patrolled by a general contingent of 100 police officers from the EU. countries.
As you know, in 2023, a consensus emerged in the EU regarding the “partial” entry of Bulgaria and Romania into Schengen. It assumed the removal of checks at airports and seaports. The decision took effect on March 30, 2024.
At the same time, Romania and Bulgaria fulfilled all the technical criteria for joining the Schengen area in 2010, but met resistance from Austria and the Netherlands. They cited allegedly insufficient measures to curb illegal migration.
Only in December 2024 did the EU Council decide to remove land border controls with Bulgaria and Romania. It was decided that these countries will join the Schengen area on January 1, 2025.
Schengen is the largest free movement zone in the world. Border checks between France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg were first abolished in 1985. The Schengen area now covers 31 countries (all EU member states, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland). Internal border controls in Cyprus have not yet been lifted, and Ireland is not part of the Schengen zone.
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Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.