Dec. 28 (UPI) — Romania and Bulgaria are set to become part of the European Union’s passport-free travel zone for flights and sea travel starting in March after Austria blocked the plan earlier this month, according to an announcement by Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu.
The agreement, reached on Dec. 23 and confirmed Wednesday by Romania’s interior ministry, allows the entry of Romania and Bulgaria into the Schengen zone, which comprises 23 of the 27 total nations in the bloc as well as Iceland, Norway , Switzerland, and Liechtenstein.
Schengen states mutually agreed to abolish border restrictions, including requirements for passports and visas, to allow EU citizens to travel freely.
On Dec. 8, Austria blocked Romania and Bulgaria, citing concerns over illegal immigration, and after Croatia won unanimous backing to join Schengen in January.
The latest expansion to Romania and Bulgaria, who have been members of the EU since 2007, still faces formal approval from all the EU member states.
The European Parliament passed a resolution earlier this month calling on the European Council to approve Romania and Bulgaria’s entry to the Schengen area before the end of 2023 after their membership was rejected a year earlier.
Discussions were being scheduled in the coming year that aim to formalize land borders between the Balkan neighbors, with Ciolacu hailing the imminent expansion as major victory for Romania.
“We have a political agreement on this!” Ciolacu said in a post to Facebook. “From March next year, Romanians will enjoy the benefits of the Schengen area by air and sea.”
Previously, the Netherlands joined Austria in opposing the entry of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen zone, while pressuring Bulgaria to make significant improvements in its judicial system, including anti-corruption reforms.
But earlier this month, Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner changed course, saying the government would allow plane travel from Romania and Bulgaria without passports, but only if these countries took stronger actions to tighten border security.
Immigration advocates argued that Vienna’s early resistance was politically motivated and cautioned that hardline immigration policies could undermine the EU’s influence in Eastern Europe in states that border Russia.
Extending Schengen rules to Romania’s land border would be closely linked “with the compensatory measures regarding the strengthening of border control and the application of the Dublin Agreement,” according to the statement from the Romanian interior ministry
