site.btaBulgaria and Romania's Full Schengen Accession a Major Step Forward, Say European Commission, Hungary

Hungary’s Interior Minister Sandor Pinter stated on Thursday that the decision to fully accept Bulgaria and Romania into the Schengen area was a significant step forward. He was speaking during a press conference following the Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting in Brussels.

After over a decade of negotiations, we have successfully completed the process, Pinter said. “The negotiations were intense, and in 2011, during Hungary's first EU Council Presidency, we proposed the two countries’ accession to Schengen, but it required a lot of patience”, Pinter noted. He thanked his colleagues in Bulgaria and Romania for their efforts.

Hungary’s Interior Minister also mentioned that he expects the Hungarian parliament to approve a bill allowing temporary border checks between Hungary and Austria. He said that by the end of June 2025, it will be assessed whether the checks need to continue for a longer period.

European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Magnus Brunner, said that the removal of land border checks between Bulgaria, Romania, and Schengen is a huge step forward "for improving the EU."