Romania and Bulgaria became full members of the Schengen area on Wednesday, expanding the EU’s borderless area to 29 member states, ending a 13-year wait for the two eastern European countries.
Photo: Valentina Petrova
A board with the inscription “Republic of Bulgaria” on the Bulgarian-Greek border near the town of Kulata
The expansion was made possible after Austria and other member countries withdrew their objections to the entry of these former communist countries.
Romania and Bulgaria, which have been members of the European Union since 2007, were partially incorporated into the Schengen area in March, eliminating border controls at ports and airports.
But Austria has threatened to veto their full entry over migration concerns, meaning checks will still be in place at land border crossings.
Vienna backed off its veto in December after the three countries reached an agreement on a “package of border protection measures”, clearing the way for Romania and Bulgaria to join the Schengen area.
Created in 1985, the zone will now include 25 of the 27 EU member states, as well as Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, with a total population of more than 400 million. Romania and Bulgaria have met the technical requirements for Schengen membership since 2011.
For years, Austria has complained about the disproportionate number of migrants arriving without documents, which is a consequence of insufficient protection of the external Schengen borders.
Vienna dropped its objections to Romania and Bulgaria joining Schengen after the three countries signed a border protection agreement last November. The agreement provides for the joint deployment of guards on the Bulgarian-Turkish border and temporary controls at land crossings for an initial period of six months.
Entry into the zone will increase the gross domestic product (GDP) of Romania and Bulgaria by at least one percentage point, analysts estimate.
Source: spravy.pravda.sk
