These two countries already had a foot in the zone with the lifting of controls last March in airports and seaports.
Mid-December, Romania and Bulgaria have received the approval of their European partners to benefit from the same privileges at post-land borders. Ceremonies were organized at different crossing points to celebrate the changeover at midnight local time (10 p.m. GMT).
This is the “greatest success” of 2024, welcomed Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu in his wishes. It is also the end of a long wait for the two former communist countries, among the poorest in the EU. They have met the technical criteria since 2011 but, “each time”, “member states raised objections”, recalled the analyst Valentin Naumescu.
Over the years, this problem has become “a source of frustration exploited by anti-EU parties denouncing unfair treatment of Romania”, he told AFP, as during the recent presidential election which saw the emergence of a surprise far-right candidate before being canceled.
With the accession to Schengen, “this feeling of being second-class citizens” is fading”the expert said.
Temporary controls
On both sides, leaders hailed a “historic” moment, stressing that it was a “key objective” since “their entry into the EU” in 2007.
Created in 1985the Schengen area now includes 25 of the 27 EU member countries as well as their associated neighbors Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. More than 400 million people can in principle circulate without being subject to controls.
This full membership of Romania (19 million inhabitants) and Bulgaria (6.5 million) was made possible by the lifting of Austria's veto. Refractory since 2022, Vienna finally accepted partial entry from Sofia and Bucharest last spring and established a road map for possible expansion.
The Alpine country deplored an influx of asylum seekers which would worsen in the event of a land enlargement of Schengen, while estimating that the measures put in place in recent months have allowed “a massive reduction in passengers”. According to an agreement presented last November, temporary checks will be carried out “for an initial period of six monthsin order to minimize the potential change in migratory routes.”
Surveillance of the Bulgarian-Turkish border, which becomes the external border of the Schengen area, will also be reinforced.
Impatient tourists
Significant economic benefits are expected to boost gross domestic product (GDP) by at least 1% in both countries, according to estimates.
Road hauliers, tired of waiting sometimes for almost 20 hours, are rubbing their hands. “It was a complete waste of time for the drivers who could not even rest because they had to move their vehicle every 10 minutes,” said Benjamin Lucescupresident of a Transport Federation in Romania.
In Bulgaria, the poor state of infrastructure should however limit the positive impact : narrow roads, motorways often poorly maintained, few bridges over the Danube demarcating the border with Romania, non-existent or dilapidated railways…
On the tourism side, players in the sector are banking on an increase in the number of travelers going to neighboring Greece. “This is excellent news,” rejoiced Ivaïlo Kirkov, 46-year-old sales manager, owner of a house in the north of the country. “We looked forward to full Schengen membership.”
Pour Gueorgui Grantcharovguide and teacher of Greek, there is no doubt that Romanians and Bulgarians will now favor Greece as a destination. Without queues, “it takes just over four hours to get from Sofia to Thessaloniki, it's as quick as going to the Bulgarian Black Sea coast.”
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