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The EU will include Bulgaria and Romania in the Schengen area, the world's largest free movement area.
As of March 2024, the EU will abolish air and sea border controls and decide on abolishing land border controls later in the year. This will allow people and businesses to enjoy free movement by air and sea in and out of Bulgaria and Romania.
The Commission confirmed in 2011 that both countries were ready to become part of the Schengen area. Since then, Bulgaria and Romania have demonstrated that they fulfill the conditions for Schengen membership, and experts have reaffirmed their readiness to become members in 2022 and 2023. Security, police, and judicial cooperation measures have been implemented in these two countries to ensure the EU remains strong against security threats. This ninth enlargement of the Schengen area will boost travel, trade, and tourism and strengthen the internal market.
The borderless Schengen area allows the free movement of nearly 450 million EU and non-EU citizens living in or visiting the EU. Free movement of persons means that every EU citizen can travel, work, and live in an EU country without special formalities. The Schengen area underpins this freedom by allowing citizens to move around the Schengen area without any border controls.
Today, the Schengen Area covers most EU countries except Bulgaria, Cyprus, Ireland, and Romania. However, Bulgaria and Romania are currently in the process of joining the Schengen Area and have primarily implemented the Schengen acquis. On January 1, 2023, Croatia became the newest member state to join the Schengen area. Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein, which are not members of the EU, have also joined the Schengen Area.
