Romania and Bulgaria have become full members of Schengen, after joining the maritime and air Schengen area, which they joined at the end of March this year.
At a meeting of interior ministers of the European Union (EU) countries in Brussels, it was decided that Bulgaria and Romania would join Schengen by land.
They became members of the Schengen area for air and sea travel in March 2024, after a partial agreement with Austria. Namely, Austria initially opposed Romania and Bulgaria’s accession to the Schengen area, saying that the number of migrations was still too high and that the mentioned countries should do more to stop migrants.
Romania and Bulgaria became members of the European Union in 2007.
The Schengen area, which was created in 1995 and has been in a major crisis in recent years, now has 29 members.
