Austria will lift its longstanding veto against the full accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the Schengen area. It comes after an agreement by the three EU Member States during a meeting in Budapest on Friday.
In March this year, the two countries were granted partial access to the Schengen zone for arrivals via air and sea, but not land borders. Controls at land borders had remained in place because Austria insisted on curbing irregular migration via the Romanian and Bulgarian borders.
At the meeting in Hungary on Friday, the three Member States noted a significant decrease in irregular immigration across the Romanian and Bulgarian borders in 2o24, as well as a decline in asylum applications in all three countries. Hungary, which currently holds the rotating EU Presidency, was involved in the meeting as it is the only Schengen country sharing a land border with Romania.
Bulgaria and Romania have been waiting to join the Schengen zone, the European area without internal borders, since 2011. In March of this year, there was a partial breakthrough with the removal of controls at airports and seaports.
EU Commissioner Ylva Johansson, who was also present in Budapest, expressed hope that the deal could be finalised at a meeting of the EU Interior Ministers on 12 December. If so, the controls could be lifted from January.
With the exception of Cyprus and Ireland, all EU Member States are part of the Schengen area. Additionally, non-EU countries Liechtenstein, Norway, Iceland, and Switzerland also belong to the zone.
