Bulgaria and Romania will be part of the Schengen area from the beginning of January. After checks at airports and sea borders have been lifted since March, free travel across land borders is now possible, the Hungarian EU Council Presidency announced following a unanimous decision by the 27 member states in Brussels.
The Schengen area allows people to travel to Europe without being checked at the border. A total of 29 countries are involved, including EU member states such as Germany and France, but also non-EU countries such as Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. Recently, however, many governments - including Germany's - have reintroduced border controls in the fight against irregular migration.
New members can only be admitted to the Schengen area unanimously. Austria had blocked land border liberalization for a long time, but recently gave up its resistance. Romania and Bulgaria had been waiting for the decision since 2011. Vienna justified its veto by saying that large numbers of migrants could continue to come to the country through both countries. Among other things, it was now said, stronger protection of the external border now ensures that migrants are no longer crossed.
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser welcomed the Schengen expansion on the sidelines of the meeting of interior ministers. All EU member states will become full members of the Schengen area as soon as they are ready. This is both a right and an obligation.
Initially, the Schengen agreement was only about the free movement of people. But over time the deal expanded. Today it also regulates cooperation between police authorities so that crimes can be better fought across borders. (A2 Televizion)