Romania and Bulgaria are expected to fully join the European Union's Schengen area starting Jan. 1, 2025, reports said Friday.
The two countries are closer than ever to joining the border-free area by the end of the year, following informal discussions between the interior ministers of Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, and Austria, Romanian news outlet Romania Insider reported.
According to the outlet, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban confirmed that all barriers to accession have been removed.
Hungarian government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs also confirmed that Romania and Bulgaria have signed a deal with Austria, which objected to their accession over concerns of irregular migration, to join the Schengen Area.
Commenting the development, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on X: "Bulgaria and Romania belong fully to the Schengen area. Removing internal controls at land borders is the last hurdle."
"EU Council formal decision is next. Let 2025 see Schengen become stronger," she added.
Bulgarian Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev also said that the progress of Bulgaria and Romania in addressing illegal migration was discussed at the interior ministers’ meeting, according to the state-run BTA news agency
He added that the final decision will be made on Dec.12.