Bulgaria and Romania officially enter Schengen air and sea space

Bulgaria and Romania officially became part of the air and sea space of the European Schengen Free Movement Area as of Sunday. On Sunday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen congratulated both countries on the “great success” represented by this union by sea and air, although entry by land is not yet possible due to the veto power used by Austria, for fear of a significant increase. In asylum seekers who may arrive by land. However, von der Leyen welcomed “the lifting of controls on internal air and sea borders”, in a partial merger that will benefit “millions of EU citizens across Europe”. In December 2022, the last time an agreement was attempted with the 27 countries on the issue, Austria and the Netherlands vetoed the entry of Bulgaria and Romania into the Schengen Area, which the European Commission had been demanding for a decade. Time. Because she defended that she met all the criteria for joining. Then Croatia, the last partner to join the Community Club, was allowed to enter, so Romania and Bulgaria were the only two EU countries not, in some way, part of the borderless space. “A historic day for Romania and Romanians!” “I am grateful to the European Commission, the Parliament and the Social Democratic Group for the perseverance they have shown, and I continue and hope that the European Council will soon extend its decision on the land border,” Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciulacu announced on his X account. On the Bulgarian side, the country's Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov participates in the official celebration of Bulgaria's entry into the Schengen Area by air in a ceremony held this morning at Sofia Airport and attended by the Deputy Prime Minister. Foreign Minister Maria Gabriel, Interior Minister Kalin Stoyanov, and Transport and Communications Minister Georgi Gvozdikov.