Vote on 12.12.

EU ambassador: the way is clear for Schengen enlargement

In Council circles, all member states - including Austria - are expected to vote in favor.(Bild: AFP )

The way is clear for Bulgaria and Romania to be fully admitted to the Schengen area. The responsible interior ministers will vote at their meeting on December 12.

According to the Hungarian Council Presidency, the EU ambassadors "finalized the preparation of the Council decision to lift land border controls with Bulgaria and Romania from 1 January 2025" at their meeting in Brussels on Wednesday.

Approval probably fixed
In Council circles, all member states are expected to agree - including Austria. The interior ministers of Austria, Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary agreed on a new border protection package in Budapest last Friday in order to set the course for the two Balkan countries to join the Schengen area in January.

Control at the Kapitan Andreevo border crossing on the Bulgaria-Turkey border(Bild: AFP )

In Council circles, all member states - including Austria - are expected to agree.(Bild: AFP )

Austria had been the only country to block full admission. The two countries have been members of "Air Schengen" since March and there are no longer any controls at air or sea borders.

"Let's cross the bridge when we are there"
In Budapest, Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) spoke of a "further important step towards coordination" at the EU Council of Interior Ministers in December. A decision will only be made in December, "let's cross the bridge when we are there", emphasized Karner. This is likely to be positive.