Passport controls at air and seaports in Romania and Bulgaria abolished

Romania and Bulgaria today partially joined the Schengen area. Border controls at airports and seaports have therefore been abolished, but controls at land borders will remain in place for the time being.

Accession has been a major wish of the two Eastern European countries for years, but a number of Schengen countries felt that they were not yet ready for it. The Netherlands also previously voted against Bulgaria’s accession. According to the then Minister of Foreign Affairs Hoekstra, the country first had to do more to combat corruption and organized crime.

Due to a veto from Austria, passport control still applies to travelers by land. According to Austria, Romania and Bulgaria must first do more to combat illegal migration. The EU agency Frontex supports Bulgaria and Romania in protecting the EU’s external borders and will continue to do so.

Later this year there will be discussions about opening the national borders. The governments of Romania and Bulgaria expect those borders to open before the end of this year.

The Schengen Treaty ensures that EU residents and visa holders can travel freely through the member countries. This concerns 27 European countries, including non-EU countries Iceland, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Norway. Romania and Bulgaria are not included because they have not yet fully joined.