BUCHAREST: Romania and Bulgaria will become full members of the Schengen zone on Wednesday, expanding the borderless area to 29 members and ending a 13-year wait for the two eastern European countries.

The expansion, made possible when Austria and other members dropped their objections to the former communist countries joining, will officially take place at midnight (2200 GMT) on Jan 1, marked by ceremonies at various border posts.

Romania and Bulgaria, both members of the European Union since 2007, were partially included in the Schengen zone in March, eliminating border checks at ports and airports. But Austria had threatened to veto their full entry over migration concerns, which meant that controls still applied at land border crossings.

Vienna backed off its veto threat in December after the three countries reached a deal on a “border protection package”, clearing the way for Romania and Bulgaria, two of the EU’s poorest countries, to join Schengen.

Created in 1985, the zone will now include 25 of the EU’s 27 members, as well as Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, covering a total population of more than 400 million people.

Romania and Bulgaria had met the Schengen zone’s technical requirements for membership since 2011. But “member states objected every time” they tried to join, analyst Valentin Naumescu said.

That became “a source of frustration exploited by anti-EU parties, which alleged Romania was being treated unfairly”, he said. The resentment came into play in Romania’s recent presidential elections, in which far-right candidate Calin Georgescu surged to a surprise first-round win, before the polls were cancelled amid claims of Russian interference.

Published in Dawn, January 1st, 2025