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BUDAPEST/BRUSSELS/SOFIA – At a meeting in Budapest between the interior ministers of Bulgaria, Romania, Austria, and Hungary, a joint declaration was prepared regarding the upcoming removal of checks on the Bulgarian and Romanian land Schengen borders.
The document was published in the official profile of the Hungarian Presidency of the EU on the social platform “X”. It foresees that joint actions to combat illegal migration will continue and joint checks will be carried out on the internal borders between Hungary and Romania, and between Romania and Bulgaria, for a period of at least six months. The four countries will provide a joint contingent of 100 border police officers (15 from Austria, 25 from Bulgaria, 20 from Hungary, and 40 from Romania).
Romania and Bulgaria can fully join the Schengen area from January 2025, said Hungarian Interior Minister Sándor Pintér, quoted by Reuters.
Hungary earlier announced that the EU Justice and Home Affairs Council is expected to vote on a proposal to remove land border checks on 12 December, which remained in place following the admission of Bulgaria and Romania to Schengen at the end of December last year. This spring, checks on the air and sea Schengen borders of Bulgaria and Romania were lifted.
I welcome the positive results of the informal talks in Budapest, wrote the President of the European Commission (EC) Ursula von der Leyen on the social network “X”. The place of Bulgaria and Romania is in Schengen. The removal of land border checks is the last hurdle. The next step is an official decision by the EU Council. Let 2025 bring a stronger Schengen, she added.
The President of the European Parliament (EP) Roberta Metsola also extended greetings and noted that MEPs have long called for Bulgaria and Romania to fully join Schengen. I expect a final decision in the coming days, Metsola added. The EP will discuss the matter at a session in Strasbourg next week.
The two largest political forces in the European Parliament – the European People’s Party (EPP) and the Socialists and Democrats (S&D) – expressed satisfaction with the adopted decisions. We welcome Austria’s positive decision for the full admission of Bulgaria and Romania to Schengen, wrote the EPP on the social network “X”. The EPP has been a staunch defender of this goal, the achievement of which will enhance security in Europe and improve the protection of external borders, the statement adds.
The S&D describes the news from Budapest as “great news”. After years of unjust waiting, Bulgaria and Romania will finally be fully in Schengen, Austria lifts the veto imposed. Our view has always been clear – there cannot be “second-class” citizens in the EU. Bulgarians and Romanians deserve the same right to free movement in the EU as any other European citizen. We expect the EU Council to confirm this decision next month, the socialists in the EP add.
Bulgarian interim Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev pointed out that progress has been made by Bulgaria and Romania in the fight against illegal migration. We must emphasize that the efforts are not only of Bulgaria and Romania but of the entire European Union, said Glavchev. (22 November)