Schengen Area Grows: Romania and Bulgaria Join Drug Lord Caught… and Convert His Luxury Cars into Police Cars

The border-free Schengen area in Europe is growing. EU countries agreed on Saturday to extend the area to Romania and Bulgaria, as announced by the Spanish Council Presidency on Platform X. Accordingly, personal controls at internal air and sea borders should be lifted from the end of March 2024. According to information, a decision on lifting land border controls will be made later.

The Schengen area is intended to guarantee unrestricted movement of people in Europe. So far, 23 of the 27 EU member states, as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, have been part of it.

The foreign ministers of the new Schengen states were also pleased with the EU countries’ decision on Platform “Our thanks go to all EU partners and institutions for their support,” Odobescu continued. Romania remains committed to a “strong and secure Schengen area”. Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Maria Gabriel wrote on the platform that the Schengen area would become stronger with Bulgaria and Romania.

The admission of the two EU countries Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen area had so far failed, mainly due to resistance from Austria. The government in Vienna justified the rejection by saying that too many unregistered migrants were arriving. New members can only be accepted by unanimity. Romania and Bulgaria had been waiting for the decision since 2011.

The European Commission welcomed the decision of the EU countries. The accession of Romania and Bulgaria will promote travel, trade and tourism and further strengthen the internal market. The president of the Brussels authority, Ursula von der Leyen, said it was an important step forward for both countries and for the Schengen area as a whole. This great achievement is the result of the hard work, commitment and perseverance of both countries.

All EU Member States will become full members of the Schengen area as soon as they are ready. This is both a right and a duty.

Romania and Bulgaria had already joined the EU in 2007. Until September, the judiciary and the rule of law were under special supervision by the European Commission due to rampant corruption and organized crime. Due to these problems, there was no consensus among the heads of state and government regarding accession for a long time. In mid-September, the authority officially ended special supervision and said Romania and Bulgaria were ready for membership.

(sda/dpa)