Austria has agreed to lift its veto on Romania and Bulgaria’s accession to the Schengen area. The agreement between the three countries was signed by interior ministers in Budapest.
In practice, full Schengen entry will also mean the abolition of land border controls, after sea and air border controls were abolished for good earlier this year. To apply, the agreement between the three countries must be unanimously approved by all EU member states, a process that is expected to go smoothly.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the agreement, saying Romania and Bulgaria “belong” to the Schengen area, “Let’s see in 2025 how Schengen becomes even stronger,” von der Leyen added.
Ylva Johansson, the EU’s home affairs commissioner, attended the ministerial meeting between the three countries. She said the vote on full Schengen accession for Bulgaria and Romania would take place on December 12-13 and hopes that land border controls would be completely lifted by January 1.
