Brussels (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Romania & Bulgaria to sign a declaration regarding full Schengen membership.
As reported by Schengen News, Bulgaria’s Caretaker Prime Minister, Dimitar Glavchev, has stated that on 22 Nov 2024, the interior ministers of Bulgaria, Romania and Austria will sign a declaration concerning the full membership of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen Zone. PM Glavchev also stated that the declaration is not the absolute decision for Bulgaria’s Schengen accession in terms of land borders but a commendation of the work that his country has done in Schengen.
What is the significance of the Schengen Declaration?
On 22 Nov 2024, the interior ministers from Romania, Bulgaria, Austria, and Hungary, as the holders of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, will carry out a working meeting, during which further actions following the partial accession of Romania and Bulgaria will also be concerned.
Will Romania secure full Schengen membership after the meeting?
Referring to the forthcoming meeting, Romania’s Interior Minister, Cătălin Predoiu, stated that his country is promising regarding full Schengen accession progress after the conference on November 22, 2024. Predoiu said that pieces are quite well placed for Schengen membership in terms of land borders; however, he stated that nothing has been predetermined and nothing has been decided yet.
The accession of Romania through land borders to the Schengen Zone was examined yesterday, November 20, through a phone conversation between the Minister of Internal Affairs of Romania, Cătălin Predoiu and the Interior Minister of Hungary, as holder of the rotating EU Council Presidency, Sandor Pinter.
According to a report from Bulgarian News Agency, Minister Predoiu stated that he completed a series of three sessions with the Austrian Minister, Gerhard Karner, the Bulgarian Minister Atanas Ilkov, and the Hungarian Minister Sandor Pinter, during which Predoiu sought to align Romania’s position to ensure that Budapest will make another effort forward in Romania’s land border Schengen accession.
How does Bulgaria view its Schengen accession progress?
The President of Bulgaria, Rumen Radev, stated that there will be no distinction between Romania and Bulgaria on their journey towards full Schengen accession. Radev expressed that a positive conclusion on the matter is expected on December 12. On the other hand, Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu expressed that Romania and Bulgaria will join the Schengen Area through land borders in January 2025.
