Poles can breathe a sigh of relief. Two European countries end controls

Long queues at the border are a thing of the past. Next year, Poles traveling by car to Bulgaria and Romania will experience significant changes. From January 1, 2025, countries popular with tourists will no longer have to undergo mandatory checks at the land border. Holiday travel around Southeast Europe will be much easier and faster.

Bulgaria and Romania even closer to Europe

Although both Bulgaria, beloved by Poles, and Romania, which borders it, have been members of the European Union since January 1, 2007, they did not participate in the open Schengen movement until March 30 this year. However, the changes introduced in spring were partial and covered only the air and sea borders. Drivers and tourists who crossed the external border by train or bus had to prepare for inspections, which could last long hours during the holiday season. Now long queues will finally be a thing of the past.

Austria agreed

The countries’ agreement, according to which both Balkan countries will soon gain full rights in Schengen, took place in the capital of Hungary. “We have reached agreement at the level of the interior ministers of the four involved countries present in Budapest and I would like to thank all the teams involved in the negotiations. Taking into account all these specific aspects, I am convinced that after 13 years, Romania will achieve full accession to Schengen by the end of the year,” said Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, quoted by Schengen News.

The most important step towards both countries joining Schengen was the consent of Austria, which had previously protested against the changes due to the risk of illegal migration. “This decision removes the last obstacle to finalizing this process,” we read. However, the final decision will be made during the vote, which will take place between December 12 and 15 this year. as part of the next meeting of the EU Justice and Home Affairs Council.