Romania and Bulgaria will join the Schengen area for air and sea transport in March 2024. This was reported by Romanian media concerning a message from the Prime Minister of Romania.
The press release of the Romanian Ministry of Internal Affairs refers to the adoption of a political decision on the expansion of the Schengen zone and the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to it: “On December 23, the Romanian Ministry of Internal Affairs, together with Austria and Bulgaria, reached a political agreement on the expansion of the Schengen zone and the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to it from March 2024 years at air and sea borders.”
This decision will come into force on March 31, 2024. For land borders, a similar measure could be adopted in 2025.
At the same time, there have been no official decisions on the admission of new countries to Schengen; the press release says: “For the materialization of a political agreement, the consent of all EU states is required, this discussion is expected on December 28.”