The European Commission welcomes today’s unanimous decision by the Council to welcome Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen Area, with air and sea border controls abolished from March 2024. The accession of the two countries will promote the development of travel, trade and tourism and will further consolidate the EU single market. Discussions on further decisions to lift land border controls will continue in 2024. An enlarged Schengen area will make the EU a closer union, stronger both internally and on the global stage.
European Commission President von der Leyen said: "Today is a historic moment for Bulgaria and Romania. It is also a proud day for Romania and Bulgarian citizens. From March, they will be able to freely cross domestic sea and air borders without border controls, which is an important step forward for both countries and the entire Schengen area. Congratulations to Bulgaria and Romania: this great achievement is achieved thanks to your hard work, commitment and perseverance. Thanks to you, the Schengen area will become stronger and benefit all EU citizens."
The European Commission first confirmed in 2011 that Bulgaria and Romania were ready to join the Schengen area without internal border controls. Since then, Bulgaria and Romania have continued to demonstrate that they meet the conditions for Schengen membership. Three fact-finding missions on the external borders of Bulgaria and Romania in 2022 and 2023 have once again confirmed this. The European Commission also launched a pilot project with Romania and Bulgaria in March 2023 to promote external border management, strengthen cooperation with neighboring countries and ensure fast asylum and return procedures.
The Schengen area is also ready to welcome Bulgaria and Romania. Over the past decade, the EU has struggled to strengthen the architecture that protects the region without imposing internal border controls. A series of measures have been taken in the areas of security, police and judicial cooperation to ensure that the EU continues to respond effectively to security threats. The Schengen Area is also now supported by a new governance model, a new evaluation mechanism and an annual reporting and monitoring cycle. Joint efforts in recent years have made the Schengen Area stronger and more resilient.
The ninth enlargement of the Schengen Area confirms and strengthens the mutual trust and solidarity between member states on which Schengen is built and will help advance this important project. The Schengen Alliance will become stronger by strengthening the protection of common external borders and effective police cooperation; it will become more prosperous by eliminating time lost at borders and promoting the exchange of people and business; and it will become more attractive by significantly expanding the world's largest common area without internal border controls.
next steps
Discussions about the possible cancellation of internal land border officer checks in 2024 will continue and the Council is expected to make a decision on the matter within a reasonable timeframe.
Substantial financial support and European Border and Coast Guard Agency assistance will continue to be provided to assist Bulgaria and Romania in protecting the EU’s external borders. At the same time, pilot projects developed by Bulgaria and Romania at the external borders have proven effective and should be transformed into more structured arrangements.
Background situation
The European Schengen Free Movement Area is one of the EU’s greatest achievements and one of the most cherished by the region’s citizens. Starting as an intergovernmental project in 1985 between the five member states of France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, the Schengen Area has gradually expanded through seven stages of expansion to become the largest free movement area in the world today. The benefits of abolishing internal borders are as compelling today as they were in 1985.
The Schengen area consists of 27 countries, covering an area of more than 4 million square kilometers and a population of nearly 420 million. Together with Romania and Bulgaria, the area of the Schengen area will increase to 4.5 million square kilometers and the population will reach 450 million.
The Schengen Area is an integral part of the EU legal framework. Under the treaty, all EU member states must become full members of the Schengen area when ready. This is both a right and an obligation. Bulgaria and Romania have proven to have a good track record in implementing the Schengen Agreement. With Romania and Bulgaria, Schengen will only get stronger. Voluntary fact-finding missions to Bulgaria and Romania in 2022 and more recently to Bulgaria in 2023 have only strengthened their readiness.