Bulgaria and Romania will become full members of the Schengen zone from January 1, 2025. The decision was made by the EU's Home Affairs and Justice Ministers at a meeting on Thursday.
We naturally welcome this. We have been driving the issue for a longer period and have also emphasized that Romania and Bulgaria have met the requirements set by the EU to be full members, says Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer (The Moderate Party) on site in Brussels.
The two countries have been blocked from entry for many years due to resistance from mainly the Netherlands and Austria, who have considered the countries' external border controls to be inadequate.
