Romania and Bulgaria may become full members of Europe's borderless Schengen travel zone in January 2025, Hungary said on Friday, adding a final decision would be made at next month's meeting of EU interior ministers.
Romania and Bulgaria may become full members of Europe's borderless Schengen travel zone in January 2025, Hungary said on Friday, adding a final decision would be made at next month's meeting of EU interior ministers.
Romania and Bulgaria, both European Union and NATO members, partly joined Schengen in March, after an agreement with Austria which initially opposed their joining on the grounds they needed to do more to prevent illegal immigration.
While air and maritime border checks between them and the other 27 countries in the travel zone were lifted, negotiations with Austria over land entry have continued through 2024.
"The two countries have made significant steps to gain full membership," Hungarian Interior Minister Sandor Pinter told a news conference after talks with his Romanian, Bulgarian and Austrian counterparts.
"We are...one step closer to Bulgaria and Romania becoming full members of Schengen."
Pinter said a package of security measures would be presented at a meeting of EU interior ministers on Dec. 11, including arrangements for at least 100 border guards to protect the border between Turkey and Bulgaria.
Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu announced on Monday that the two countries would join the Schengen area next year but described the Budapest meeting, where the four interior ministers would agree the final document, as "crucial".
Ciolacu said the Dutch parliament - which has opposed Bulgaria's joining - would also need to approve the document.
Romania and Bulgaria are on major routes for the illegal trade in arms and drugs as well as human trafficking, but the European Commission said after a thorough investigation they met all Schengen requirements.
Romania has described Austrian opposition as unjustified, citing data from border agency Frontex showing illegal migrants have mainly entered the EU from the Western Balkans, not Romania.
Police in riot gear pushed toward a group of protesters who launched fireworks, flares and smoke bombs during a demonstration in Milan on Saturday, as...
Benjamin Netanyahu will meet Donald Trump in Washington on Wednesday, a date brought forward as indirect U.S.-Iran nuclear talks in Oman restart and T...
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 8th of February, covering the latest developments you need to ...
Russia launched a large-scale overnight attack on Ukraine’s energy system early on Saturday (7 January), hitting power generation and distribution f...
Saudi Arabia and Syria have signed agreements worth about $5.3bn aimed at boosting cooperation across aviation, telecommunications and water infrastru...
Bulgarian President Rumen Radev said on Monday (19 January) that he will resign from office, a move that has fuelled speculation he may form a political party ahead of upcoming parliamentary elections.
Former Bulgarian President Rumen Radev said on Friday that the country will hold a snap election after political parties failed to form a government following the resignation of the previous administration amid widespread protests.
A state of emergency in 26 settlements in Bulgaria has been declared after heavy rainfall caused flooding in Krumovgrad in southern Kardzhali province, pushing the Krumovitsa River close to overflowing.
Bulgaria marked its entry into the euro zone on Thursday with a display of euro coins on the front of the central bank in the capital, Sofia.
Storm Leonardo hit Spain and Portugal on Tuesday, forcing more than 11,000 people from their homes, as a man in Portugal died after his car was swept away by floodwaters and a second body was found in Malaga.
Iran would retaliate by striking U.S. military bases across the Middle East if it comes under attack by American forces, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Saturday (7 January), stressing that such action should not be seen as targeting the countries hosting those bases.
At least 31 people have been killed and scores wounded in a suicide bombing at a mosque in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, during Friday prayers, prompting widespread international condemnation.
U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators have discussed an ambitious goal of reaching a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine by March, though the timeline is widely viewed as unrealistic due to deep disagreements over territory, according to multiple sources familiar with the talks.
A Japanese city near Mount Fuji has cancelled its annual cherry blossom festival, saying growing numbers of badly behaved tourists are disrupting daily life for residents.
Police in riot gear pushed toward a group of protesters who launched fireworks, flares and smoke bombs during a demonstration in Milan on Saturday, as the city hosted events on the first full day of the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 8th of February, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Voters across Japan pushed through heavy winter snow on Sunday (8 January) to cast ballots in an election expected to hand Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi a sweeping victory.
Several avalanches struck northern Italy on Saturday, killing at least three people, as rescue officials warned the death toll could rise with unstable conditions persisting across the Alps.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner visited the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea on Saturday after completing a round of talks with Iran.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment