BUDAPEST – Romania and Bulgaria are on track to become full members of the European Union’s Schengen Area by January 2025, according to Hungary, which said the final decision will be made at the EU interior ministers’ meeting next month.
Both countries, which are members of both the EU and NATO, were partially integrated into the Schengen Area in March 2024, following a deal with Austria. Austria had previously raised concerns about illegal immigration, which delayed full membership. The agreement lifted air and maritime border checks between Romania, Bulgaria, and the 27 other Schengen countries, but talks on land border entry continued throughout 2024.
Hungarian Interior Minister Sandor Pinter, after a meeting with his counterparts from Romania, Bulgaria, and Austria, confirmed that the countries had made significant progress toward full integration. “We are… one step closer to Bulgaria and Romania becoming full members of Schengen,” Pinter stated.
A package of security measures, including the deployment of at least 100 border guards to secure the border between Turkey and Bulgaria, will be discussed at the EU ministers’ meeting on December 11.
Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu confirmed the planned timeline for Schengen membership in 2025 but emphasized that the upcoming Budapest meeting and Dutch parliamentary approval were crucial steps.
Both Romania and Bulgaria are key transit points for illegal arms, drug, and human trafficking networks, though the European Commission has stated that both nations have met the necessary criteria for full Schengen membership. Romania has argued that Austria’s opposition is unfounded, noting that most illegal migrants entering the EU do so via the Western Balkans, not Romania.