These inhabitants of two foreign countries will soon be able to enter and circulate in France without border controls.
One of the main advantages that the European Union offers its citizens is that of free movement in most of the countries that make it up. A freedom established by the Treaty of Maastricht in 1992, which is one of the pillars of the EU. In detail, European citizens are free to travel wherever they wish within the member countries of the Schengen area, where no border controls are carried out, except in exceptional circumstances. Among the 27 members of the European Union, 22 are part of this area and 4 non-EU member states are also associated with it, namely Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
Since 1995, the Schengen area has continued to expand. And in 2024, two Eastern European countries will enter: Romania and Bulgaria. The two states have been members of the European Union since 2007. On December 30, 2023, the 27 EU member states unanimously agreed to expand the Schengen area to these two countries, after an initial favorable opinion in 2011.
The entry of Romania and Bulgaria was gradual. In fact, these countries already applied certain conditions of the Schengen area such as controls at the EU’s external borders and police cooperation. They also already had access to information from the Schengen Information System (SIS). In 2022, Austria, however, filed a veto against the integration of the two countries, because it believed it was the victim of too much illegal immigration at its borders. It finally aligned itself with the decision of other States after obtaining guarantees from Romania and Bulgaria in terms of the fight against illegal immigration.
The EU said the inclusion of Romania and Bulgaria would benefit travel, trade and tourism. The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, welcomed in a press release on December 30, 2023: “Today marks a historic moment for Bulgaria and Romania, and a day of great pride for Bulgarian and Romanian citizens. “.
The measure should be effective from March 31, 2024. Bulgarian and Romanian citizens will be able to travel to Schengen member countries without a passport and vice versa. Only the national identity document will be required. However, this measure will initially only apply to travel by plane and boat. The EU council has yet to define the date for lifting land border controls. This means that passports will still be required for travelers crossing the borders of these two countries by car.