Bucharest and Sofia have just taken a step into the Schengen area. Romania and Bulgaria have in fact reached an agreement with Austria to integrate the European area of free movement at sea and air level in March 2024, the Romanian government said on Wednesday. The question of opening land borders, however, was postponed to discussions to be held next year.
“After 13 years, Romania will finally join Schengen! We have a political agreement on this! », Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu rejoiced on Facebook. For its part, the Romanian Ministry of the Interior declared that a “political agreement” was reached between the three countries on the extension of the zone “to the Romanian and Bulgarian air and maritime borders” from March 2024 “.
The idea of an “Air Schengen”
Austria, which vetoed the entry of the two countries a year ago, put forward the idea of what it called “Air Schengen” at the beginning of December. She then said she was ready for a relaxation of the rules governing air traffic for Bulgaria and Romania, if Brussels strengthened the external borders of the European Union.
Romania and Bulgaria, members of the EU since 2007, were excluded at the end of 2022 from this vast area within which more than 400 million people can travel freely without internal border controls. Their applications were vetoed by Vienna, which has complained for years of supporting, in the indifference of Brussels, disproportionate illegal immigration linked to too poorly protected Schengen external borders.
This zone of free movement of people and goods created in 1985 includes 23 of the 27 EU member countries as well as their associated neighbors Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.