Aquí Europa
The Schengen area, created in 1985 and made up of 23 of the 27 member countries of the European Union along with Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, will open its air and sea doors to two other EU States in March: Bulgaria and Romania. Spain had repeatedly expressed its support for the accession of both countries to the Schengen Treaty of free movement of people and goods during the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU.
The relaxation of the Austrian veto and the support of the European Commission and the European Parliament will make it possible for Bulgaria and Romania, members of the EU since 2007, to partially access the Schengen area, by air and sea, starting in March. This means that controls at ports and airports will be eliminated.
The Romanian Government announced in a press release that the opening will be carried out in stages, with a first “air and sea” phase starting next March, when entry controls at ports and airports will be eliminated. In a statement, the Ministry of the Interior of the Balkan country stated that on the 23rd an agreement was reached with the competent authorities of Austria and Bulgaria on the expansion of the Schengen area with Romania and Bulgaria.
The note, which refers to the relaxation of the Austrian veto on the accession of both Balkan countries to the Schengen Treaty of free movement of people and goods – despite the fact that the EC and the European Parliament have been ensuring for years that Bulgaria and Romania are ready to enter Schengen – points out that the necessary steps have been taken for this pact to be legally integrated into the decisions of the European Council.
Bucharest thanked the European Commission and the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, as well as the Ministries of the Interior of Austria and Bulgaria, for the “constructive talks” that have made the agreement possible.
«After 13 years, Romania will finally join Schengen! We have a political agreement on this! », wrote the Romanian Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu, on his Facebook account. «From March next year, Romanians will benefit from the advantages of the Schengen area by air and by sea. Immediately, the port of Constanta (on the Romanian coast of the Black Sea) will increase its importance exponentially. I am also convinced that in 2024 we will close the negotiations for the land border,” he added.
The Schengen Treaty establishes the lifting of controls on the internal borders of its space, that is, between its member states, while strengthening them on the external borders (with third nations). So far, its space covers 4.3 million square kilometers and 423 million citizens from 27 European countries (23 EU partners and 4 non-EU partners).
Last March, the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, conveyed, during a tour of Bucharest and Budapest, Spain’s support for Romania and Bulgaria to complete their incorporation into the Schengen area during the Spanish Presidency of the European Union.
