Schengen Agreement

The European Union has officially approved Bulgaria and Romania as full members of the Schengen area. The decision, announced on Thursday at a meeting of EU interior ministers in Brussels, comes after the two countries partially joined Schengen by air and sea in March.

European Union ministers on Thursday agreed to let Bulgaria and Romania fully integrate into Europe's ID-check-free travel zone, known as the Schengen area, by lifting land border controls from next year, the EU's Hungarian presidency said.

EU states on Thursday cleared Bulgaria and Romania to become full members of the borderless Schengen zone from the start of next year, officials said.

"It is a historic moment to finally welcome Bulgaria and Romania," said Hungarian Interior Minister Sandor Pinter, whose country holds the EU's rotating presidency.

Bulgaria and Romania will officially become full members of the Schengen area starting on January 1, 2025. This decision was confirmed today during a meeting of the EU Council of Justice and Home Affairs.

The Dutch Party for Freedom (PVV), led by Geert Wilders, has submitted a resolution in the Dutch parliament aimed at blocking Bulgaria and Romania's accession to the Schengen area by land. Sources familiar with the situation suggest that the resolution is unlikely to gain sufficient support.

Austria is dropping its veto on Romania and Bulgaria becoming full members of Europe's Schengen free-travel area, its interior ministry said on Monday, paving the way for European Union interior ministers to approve the move at a meeting on Thursday.

Bulgaria and Romania are set to enter the Schengen Area, but border controls at their land borders will remain in place for at least six months following their accession. This agreement was finalized today in Budapest, where the interior ministers of Bulgaria, Romania, Austria, and Hungary signed a joint declaration, as reported by the Hungarian rotating presidency of the EU Council.

Romania and Bulgaria may become full members of Europe's borderless Schengen travel zone in January 2025, Hungary said on Friday, adding a final decision would be made at next month's meeting of EU interior ministers.

Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu has expressed strong optimism that Romania will join the Schengen Area, including land borders, by the end of this year. This announcement comes after several previous challenges in the country's quest for full integration into the Schengen framework.

BRUSSELS - European Union leaders agreed on Thursday to use all their leverage, including trade, development aid and visa policy, to speed up returns of migrants illegally entering the bloc and asked the European Commission to urgently draft a law.