Bulgaria and Romania officially join the Schengen area
The European Union has approved Bulgaria and Romania’s full accession to the Schengen area for visa-free travel between the bloc’s countries.
This came in a decision taken by the interior ministers of the European Union countries during their meeting in the Belgian capital, Brussels, on Thursday.
The countries agreed to include Bulgaria and Romania in the Schengen area via land as well.
The two countries joined the European Union’s free travel area by sea and air on March 31.
Bulgaria and Romania faced opposition from the Netherlands, Hungary and Austria in the process of joining the Schengen Area.
Some countries that had expressed reservations about immigration and corruption, most recently Austria, have withdrawn their veto.
It is worth noting that Romania and Bulgaria became members of the European Union in 2007.
