Police Lieutenant General Janos Balogh, head of the National Police Headquarters, and Chief Inspector Cornel-Laurian Stoica of the Romanian Border Police opened the state border between Hungary and Romania jointly, and symbolically. During the ceremony, the Hungarian Police Orchestra performed the national anthems of both countries as well as the European Union’s anthem.
Precisely at 00:00 hours on January 1, 2025, local Romanian time, the two leaders together lifted the barrier at the Csanadpalota highway border crossing.
Similar opening ceremonies were also held at other crossings along the Hungary-Romany state border.
National Police Headquarters chief Janos Balogh described the removal of border checks at the Hungary-Romania border as a historic and uplifting moment.
He declared:
We’ve been waiting a long time, and eagerly, for this moment.
The Lieutenant General recalled that during Hungary’s first EU presidency, significant efforts were made to support Romania’s entry into the Schengen Area. Although unsuccessful at the time, he emphasized that Hungary, along with Romania and Bulgaria, remained committed to the goal. He noted that this extraordinary event was the result of long years of hard work and perseverance.
Mr. Balogh thanked all Romanian law enforcement agencies – including the border guards, the police, and the gendarmerie – for their contributions.
He welcomed Romania as a Schengen member state, stating that Hungary is happy to welcome all Romanian citizens, and visitors coming from Romania.
From midnight, crossing the Hungarian-Romanian border will be much easier,
– Mr. Balogh said, expressing hope that the development will boost cultural and economic ties and bring the two nations even closer together.
Starting from January 1, regular border checks were eliminated at nearly 40 crossing points between Romania and its neighbors, Hungary and Bulgaria, as Romania became a full member of the Schengen Area, the Romanian Border Police announced Monday.
From now on, travel from Romania to other Schengen countries will be practically as seamless as domestic travel within a single country.
However, travelers crossing the border will still need to present valid travel documents, such as a passport or national ID.
Romanian Border Police will continue to conduct random checks within a 30-kilometer radius of the border in cooperation with the police, gendarmerie, and immigration authorities.
Romania is now ready to secure the EU’s and Schengen Area’s external borders, by reason of its earlier logistical and personnel investments. The majority of graduates from its Border Police Training Center in Oradea have been assigned to external border posts.
On average, Romania’s border crossings processed 110,000 travelers and 33,000 vehicles daily in 2024, including 7,300 trucks.
The busiest crossing along the Hungary-Romania border was the Csanadpalota-Nagylak II highway checkpoint, which handled an average of 9,500 travelers and 4,870 vehicles per day. On the Bulgaria-Romania border, the Giurgiu-Ruse Bridge over the Danube saw the heaviest traffic, with 10,500 travelers and 5,000 vehicles crossing each and every day.
As of January 1, 2025, Bulgaria and Romania are full members of the Schengen Area, an achievementin which Hungary’s EU presidency and Prime Minister Viktor Orban played a pivotal role. Hunor Kelemen, president of the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (RMDSZ), highlighted Mr. Orban’s and the Hungarian government’s dedication to facilitating Romania’s accession, which he described as a significant benefit for ethnic Hungarians living in Transylvania. Dimiter Glavchev, Bulgaria’s prime minister, also expressed gratitude to PM Orban for Hungary’s support in the process.
Cover Photo: Police Lieutenant General Janos Balogh speaks at the symbolic opening of the Hungary-Romania state border at the Csanadpalota border crossing point, to mark Romania’s accession to the Schengen Area on December 31, 2024 (Photo: MTI/Zsolt Czegledi)
Source: magyarnemzet.hu
