Austria has agreed to the gradual accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the Schengen area. This was reported by ARA, reports UNN.
According to the government in Bucharest, Romania, Bulgaria and Austria have reached a "political agreement" on the expansion of the Schengen area. According to the Romanian Ministry of Internal Affairs, a gradual accession to the Schengen area is planned. This means that Bulgaria and Romania will will apply the Schengen rules at their air and sea borders borders from March 2024
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It is noted that the agreement was reached on December 23 between the ministries of interior of Austria, Romania and Bulgaria. After that, it was discussed through diplomatic channels at the level of the ministries of of Foreign Affairs and the EU Delegations so that it could be legally incorporated into a decision of the Committee of Permanent Representatives (COREPER).
The Romanian Interior Ministry thanked the European Commission and the the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU, as well as the interior ministries of of Austria and Bulgaria for the "constructive negotiations" that ultimately made this agreement possible.
In turn, Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu wrote on Facebook that the country's authorities are determined to successfully complete negotiations on full membership in the Schengen area next year.