Romania and Bulgaria will become full-time members of the Schengen Area as of 1 January 2025, completing a process that dates back to 2011, when the European Commission declared both countries ready to join.
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00:00Romania and Bulgaria finally received the green light on Thursday to become full members
00:07of the passport-free Schengen area.
00:10This breakthrough was made possible after Austria agreed to lift its long-held veto
00:15on the accession of the two Eastern European countries, which was initially due to concerns
00:20about migration.
00:22In practice, the deal means the abolition of checks at internal land borders, although
00:27some checks would still remain.
00:30Although, practically, they will be fully members by the start of 2025, there will be
00:40some internal border controls placed by Hungary at the Romanian border and then also in the
00:48border between Bulgaria and Romania for at least six months.
00:54The Schengen area is experiencing a delicate period, with at least eight countries reintroducing
01:00temporary internal border checks, one after the other, among them Germany and, more recently,
01:07the Netherlands, both citing a risk of irregular migration or cross-border crime.
01:12All countries have notified the EU Commission, but an analyst suggests the issue is more
01:18political than security-related.
01:20So, it seems that more and more countries are actually using border controls.
01:26I don't know whether or how real the risk is and how effectively these border controls
01:34can actually respond to the reasons that are stated in the notifications, but I guess they
01:42also serve as this tool to kind of say to the domestic public that we are doing something.
01:52Internal border controls may not be that invasive, actually.
01:56They may be only like random checks at the border.
02:00The Schengen agreement was founded on the principles of strengthening external borders,
02:05allowing member states to trust one another.
02:08However, this trust has been challenged by some member states regarding migration issues.
02:13There is hope among some that implementing the Asylum and Migration Pact could rejuvenate
02:19the Schengen visa-free area.