Bulgaria and Romania officially joined the Schengen area this Sunday, expanding participation to the free movement zone for aviation and maritime routes across the European Union. The change marks a major step for both nations, linking them to an internal market and borderless travel framework that millions of travelers and businesses rely on for smoother cross-border activities. The moment is being celebrated as a milestone in European integration, with practical implications for travel, trade, and regional cooperation that extend well beyond the airports and harbors themselves.
Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, congratulated Bulgaria and Romania on this significant achievement. She underscored the positive impact of lifting internal checks in air and sea corridors, while noting that land entry remains restricted for the moment due to the continued veto from Austria. The decision to permit air and sea movement helps ease many concerns about immigration and asylum while preserving the overall integrity of Europe’s border management system.
Von der Leyen also welcomed the partial removal of border controls on internal air and maritime passages, emphasizing that the inclusion benefits millions of EU citizens across the continent. This phased integration offers tangible advantages, enabling faster travel for residents, facilitating commerce, and strengthening the sense of a shared European space where borders become less of a barrier and more of a convenience for everyday life.
Looking back, the December 2022 attempt to reach a Twenty-Seven agreement on Schengen expansion faced a veto from Austria and the Netherlands, which blocked the entry of Bulgaria and Romania. In that moment, the Commission had argued for a decade that both countries met all established criteria for adhesion, and their exclusion stood as a notable exception within the broader Schengen system. The episode illustrates how political choices can shape the pace of regional integration even when technical readiness is widely recognized.
When Croatia joined the Schengen area, it created a new dynamic in which Romania and Bulgaria stood as the only EU members outside the passport-free zone in a formal sense. This realization underscored the practical and symbolic importance of expanding the club of nations that honor the free movement principle without routine border checks. The current development, therefore, represents a turning point with the potential to influence policy discussions about future expansions and the criteria used to evaluate compliance across member states.
In national reactions, Romania’s prime minister, Marcel Ciolacu, celebrated the milestone on his social media channel, declaring it a historic day for the country and its citizens. He expressed gratitude to the European Commission, the Parliament, and the Social Democratic Group for their perseverance and indicated hope that the decision may soon extend to land borders as well, enabling a more complete application of Schengen across all entry points. Romania’s leadership signaled continued commitment to broader integration while acknowledging the practical steps already achieved through air and sea access.
From the Bulgarian side, the prime minister participated in the ceremonial acknowledgment of Bulgaria’s entry into Schengen via air travel. The event was held at the Sofia Airport and was attended by high-level officials, including the deputy prime minister, the foreign minister, the interior minister, and the minister of transport and communications. The gathering reflected the government’s emphasis on the moment as a national achievement and a milestone in Bulgaria’s ongoing engagement with EU border-free movement policies, with security and efficiency as guiding priorities for the next stages of implementation.