Romania, Bulgaria ready to step into Schengen Zone

Thanks to the support of Hungary in the European Union, Romania is ready to enter the Schengen zone from January 1, 2025, Azernews reports that this was stated by the Prime Minister of Romania, Marcel Ciolaku.

Besides, Romania and Bulgaria, both European Union and NATO members, partly joined Schengen in March, after an agreement with Austria which initially opposed their joining on the grounds they needed to do more to prevent illegal immigration.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán noted that the decision on Romania's accession to the Schengen zone will be adopted in Brussels on December 12, based on the document presented by Hungary as the chairman of the EU Council. "For some time now, Romania has met all the necessary criteria to become a full-fledged member of the Schengen zone, and now all obstacles will be removed," he stressed.

As for Bulgaria's full accession to Schengen, Pinter said a package of security measures would be presented at a meeting of EU interior ministers on Dec. 11, including arrangements for at least 100 border guards to protect the border between Turkiye and Bulgaria.