Eleanor Domin
As of 31st March, Bulgaria and Romania will partially join Europe’s Schengen Area of free movement, following a 13-year wait.
In 2023, the two countries reached an agreement to join Europe’s free-travel area by air and sea. However, the decision has not been met with universal acceptance, with Austria opposing full membership due to the risks of undocumented migration.
A different start to the 2024 season! The decision of the Council of the European Union on the admission of Bulgaria and Romania to Schengen by air and water officially entered into force on March 31, 2024. pic.twitter.com/0VjPHiWs0x
— Ivo Barzov (@IBarzov) April 11, 2024
Despite the partial membership, it has had great practical and symbolic value so far.
Mincho Yurukov, a traveller arriving in Sofia airport from Berlin, said “We feel like Europeans.”
The Schengen Zone now comprises of 29 members, 25 of which are EU member states.
In a statement, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that she welcomes the lifting of internal and sea border checks, calling the decision a “great success” for both countries.
CALLS FOR EXTENSION
Despite some travellers feeling joy at the decision, truck drivers left in long queues at the borders of their European neighbours feel left out.
“It is now time for Romania to fully join the Schengen Area. You have been ready for 13 years!
If planes and ships can cross borders without inspection, why should cars and trucks wait in endless lines?” says @ManfredWeber in the #ThisisEurope debate.
Watch ⬇️#EPlenary pic.twitter.com/GReo8fuXgz
— EPP Group (@EPPGroup) February 13, 2024
One of Romania’s main road transport unions, the UNTRR, has called for full Schengen integration, following the financial costs caused by these long waits.
Radu Dinescu, UNTRR Secretary-General, highlighted the billions of euros lost each year by Romanian hauliers due to the long waiting times at the borders.
According to the Union, truckers usually wait between eight to 16 hours at the Hungarian border, and between 20 to 30 at the Bulgarian border, sometimes waiting up to three days.
Romania is not the only country with reservations; some Bulgarian businesses have also voiced their anger.
Vasil Velev, President of the Bulgarian Industrial Capital Association (BICA), stated: “Only 3 per cent of Bulgarian goods are transported by air and sea, the remaining 97 per cent by land.”
SCHENGEN MIGRATION MANAGEMENT
One of the primary reasons behind the Schengen rules not being applicable to the nations’ land borders is the concerns from Austria over how Sofia and Bucharest manage irregular migration.
To combat this, the two countries have joined a regional police initiative with Austria, Greece and Slovakia to manage the flow of irregular migration.
Additionally, the EU’s border agency Frontex have said that it would ‘triple‘ the number of its officers in Bulgaria to help stem the amount of people crossing over from Turkey.
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Featured image courtesy of European Parliament via Flickr. No changes were made to this image. Image license found here.
