site.btaBulgaria, Romania's Full Schengen Integration Boosts EU's Economy - Report

Bulgaria and Romania's full integration into the Schengen area on January 1, 2025, "significantly strengthens the EU economy and is proof that the Member States are fully engaged to further improve cooperation under Schengen", according to the 2025 State of Schengen Report released by the European Commission on Wednesday. The two countries are expected to save billions of euro in costs as a result of their membership.

In the beginning of 2025, both countries fully joined Schengen after a process that lasted 18 years. By fully joining the Schengen area, Bulgaria and Romania are expected to save billions of euros considering that with internal borders still in place, companies operating in these two countries were estimated to pay billions, annually as a result of increased logistics costs, delays impacting deliveries of goods and equipment, and increased costs for fuel and drivers.

The document points out that in the last year, many actions were taken to strengthen Schengen in order to protect external borders and gives examples of the joint work of Bulgaria, Austria, Greece, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia. It notes the activities undertaken at the Bulgarian-Turkish border to prevent threats to the EU.

The Schengen area has brought profound benefits to the EU and European citizens. It is the backbone of the European internal market and makes life easier for nearly 450 million people, the report says. Last year, more than half a billion people visited the Schengen area, which boosted economic growth.

Schengen security systems helped reduce the number of illegal crossings at external borders. That number hit a record low in 2024 since 2021. According to the report, there has been a 12% increase in returns of foreign nationals without the right to stay in the Schengen area.