site.btaOn January 26, 2000: European Commission Proposes that Bulgaria and Romania Be Removed from Black List for Schengen Visas

On January 26, 2000, the European Commission proposed that Bulgaria and Romania be removed from the black list for Schengen visas.

The Schengen Agreement is a treaty signed on June 14, 1985, by France, Germany and the Benelux countries (Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg). The treaty aimed to abolish border controls between the countries and introduce enhanced checks on their common external border. An additional protocol regulated the granting of political asylum and cooperation between police authorities in the fight against cross-border crime.

On January 26, 2000, BTA reported that the European Commission proposed to abolish the visa regime for Bulgaria and Romania when their citizens travel to EU countries.

The European Commission argued its proposal with two arguments: first, the tightening of border control, ensuring the security of international passports and the fact that Bulgaria and Romania have signed new readmission agreements, while respecting the existing ones. Second, the two countries are starting accession negotiations, which puts their relations with the EU at a new stage.

At that time, the European Commission agreed to extend the Schengen Agreement to the entire territory of the Union. Up to that point there had been de facto two black lists, the European Union black list and the Schengen black list, which, with the entry into force of the Amsterdam Treaty, would be unified and reduced to one.

The European Commission proposed that Bulgaria and Romania should be excluded from the negative list and included in the list of countries whose citizens do not need short-term visas for the European Union.

The deadline set for implementing the Amsterdam Treaty was five years. On the other hand, at their meeting in Vienna on December 11 and 12, 1998, they adopted an action plan according to which the Member States should draw up a regulation on the visa regime within two years. 

From this point, the European Commission, at the level of the Council of Ministers of Home Affairs and Justice, would take the final decision. According to the procedure, this would be taken by a qualified majority. When this was done, the decision would also be returned for approval by the European Parliament.

MEPs had already repeatedly insisted that Bulgaria be removed from the negative list. Once they ratified the decision, it would  automatically enter into force, but experts did not rule out the need for a short transitional period.

On September 25, 1995, the Council of Justice and Home Affairs Ministers of the European Union approved Regulation 2317/95, establishing a list of 101 countries whose citizens must be in possession of visas when crossing the external borders of the EU. Bulgaria was included in this list.

On 5 October, the 37th Bulgarian National Assembly, in a declaration, confirmed that Bulgaria remains faithful to its policy of integration into the EU, which is based on a consensus between the main political forces, expressed its protest against the decision of the EU Council of Ministers and insisted on its revision.
Bulgaria held consultations on the visa regulation in October 1997, July, October and November 1998.

On March 12, 1999, Regulation 574/1999 was adopted, regulating visa relations between EU countries and third countries, to which a list of 100 countries whose citizens require visas when crossing the external borders of the Union was annexed. Bulgaria was on the list at number 12, Romania - at number 75.

On April 10, 2001, a visa-free regime for Bulgarian citizens in the countries that have signed the Schengen Agreement was introduced.

According to Regulation 539, adopted on March 15, 2001 by the Justice and Home Affairs Council of the European Union, from April 10, 2001, Bulgarian citizens could reside in the Schengen countries without visas for a maximum of 90 days every six months, starting from the day of first entry into any country in the Schengen area.

On January 1, 2025, Bulgaria and Romania became full members of the Schengen Area.