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After a long 13-year wait, Bulgaria and Romania are set to enjoy partial entry into Europe's expansive Schengen area from Sunday, enabling air and sea travel without the need for border checks. This development marks a significant step for the two countries, although land border controls will persist. Austria's concerns over potential influxes of asylum seekers have prevented full membership for these eastern European nations, maintaining checks on their land borders.
Despite this limitation, the move to lift air and sea border controls carries substantial symbolic importance. It represents an "important milestone" for Bulgaria and Romania, reflecting their integral role within the European Union, as noted by foreign policy analyst Stefan Popescu. For individuals like Ivan Petrov, a Bulgarian living in France, this change promises more convenient and less time-consuming travel.
With their inclusion, the Schengen zone now encompasses 29 members, including 25 EU states, alongside Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein. Romania's government highlighted that Schengen rules would now apply to four sea ports and 17 airports, featuring the Otopeni airport near Bucharest as a primary hub for Schengen flights.
To ensure smooth operations, additional staff, from border police to immigration officers, will be deployed at airports. They will assist passengers and aim to prevent illegal departures from Romania, with random checks to spot false documents and combat human trafficking.
Both Bulgaria and Romania aspire for full Schengen integration by year's end, despite Austria's current stance. Meanwhile, Croatia has already joined the Schengen area as its 27th member earlier in January 2023. The Schengen agreement, established in 1985, facilitates unrestricted travel for over 400 million people within its borders.
However, the celebration is not universal. Truck drivers, in particular, express frustration over prolonged border waits. Romania's main road transporter union has urgently called for measures to expedite full Schengen integration, citing significant financial losses due to delays at borders.
Bulgarian businesses also share this sentiment, with the Bulgarian Industrial Capital Association pointing out that a mere three percent of goods are transported by air and sea, leaving the majority affected by land border restrictions.
Despite these challenges, Bulgarian and Romanian officials maintain a positive outlook, asserting the process towards full Schengen membership is irreversible and aim for its completion by 2024, extending to land borders. This step forward, although partial, symbolizes progress and the unyielding ambition of both nations to fully integrate into the Schengen zone, promising a future of easier movement and greater unity within Europe.
