Brussels, December 31 (QNA) - The European Union (EU) announced that Bulgaria and Romania will join the Schengen Area with open borders as of March 2024.
The Spanish presidency of the Union said, in a statement, that the internal controls at air and sea borders will be lifted between the two states and the rest of the other Schengen members as of next March. Meanwhile, a decision regarding lifting the internal land borders will be taken at a later time.
The Schengen Area largely freezes border checks between its members and allows people to travel, work, and live in another member state without obtaining visas or permits.
For her part, EU President Ursula von der Leyen welcomed in a statement the decision to accept Bulgaria and Romania.
Both Bulgaria and Romania were ready to become part of the Schengen area without internal border controls in 2011. Since then, Bulgaria and Romania have continued to demonstrate that they fulfill the conditions for becoming Schengen members. This was mainly opposed by Austria, as there is a very large number of illegal immigrants arriving in Austria through the two countries.
The historic Schengen Agreement was concluded in 1985 and includes 23 countries out of the 27 that make up the European Union. The four countries outside the Union include Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland.
The agreement resulted in the emergence of the Schengen Area, which allows freedom of travel and movement within and across its member states and the sharing of a unified visa policy. (QNA)