EU countries agree to include Bulgaria and Romania in Schengen area
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the decision. "Today is a historic moment for Bulgaria and Romania. And a proud day for the Romanian and Bulgarian citizens," she said.
Romania and Bulgaria have been EU member states since 2007. After a wait of more than ten years, the two countries had the door slammed in their faces again by the Schengen countries at the end of last year.
Austria vetoed the admission at the time. The Alpine country has been criticizing the high number of irregular migrants on the so-called Balkan route for years and has called for better protection of the EU's external borders. The Netherlands also voted against Bulgaria's application.
At the beginning of December, however, the Austrian government then offered to drop the Schengen borders for air traffic with Bulgaria and Romania in exchange for Brussels strengthening the EU's external borders through stricter border controls.
The visa-free zone of the Schengen area currently includes 27 European countries with around 400 million citizens. These include 23 EU countries and four partner states: Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.
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- Following the EU countries' agreement, Bulgaria and Romania will officially join the Schengen area, a significant development for both nations.
- Ursula von der Leyen, EU Commission President, praised the decision, acknowledging it as a historic moment for Bulgaria and Romania.
- Though Romania and Bulgaria became EU member states in 2007, their aspirations to join the Schengen area faced obstacles, most notably from Austria and the Netherlands.
- Austria's veto and the Netherlands' vote against Bulgaria's application stemmed from concerns over irregular migrants on the Balkan route and the need to strengthen the EU's external borders.
- In an effort to resolve the situation, Austria proposed dropping the Schengen borders for air traffic with Bulgaria and Romania, contingent upon stricter border controls by Brussels.
- Inclusion in the Schengen area's visa-free zone would mean Bulgaria and Romania joining 23 EU countries and four partner states, expanding the Schengen space to include about 400 million citizens in total.
- From now on, Bulgarian and Romanian citizens will be able to travel freely within the Schengen room, benefiting from seamless travel within European Union countries.
Source: www.stern.de
