Romania will achieve full accession to the Schengen Area starting January 1, 2025, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu stated on Friday after a meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Budapest.
„We have reached an agreement at the level of the interior ministers of the four involved states present in Budapest, and I want to thank all the teams involved in the negotiations. Considering all these concrete aspects, I am confident that after 13 years, Romania will achieve full Schengen accession by the end of the year,” the Prime Minister said.
Ciolacu met with Orban on Friday in Budapest as part of the visit he is making on the occasion of the meeting of the Interior Ministers of Austria, Romania, Bulgaria, and Hungary on the Schengen topic.
In turn, the Prime Minister of Hungary stated that it has been agreed that as of January 1, 2025, Romania will become a member of the Schengen Area both by air and land.
"If everything goes according to our plans, then from January 1, if I drive to the Prime Minister by car, I will not be stopped at the border but will be able to drive from Budapest to Bucharest without any checks," Orban added.
"All criteria have been met, and all barriers that made Romania's accession to the Schengen Area impossible have been removed. This means that we have agreed that all four countries will work tirelessly so that from January 1, Romania will become a member of the Schengen Area, not only by air and sea but also by land. A decision that requires all EU Interior Ministers," the Prime Minister of Hungary said in joint statements with Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu in Budapest.
Orban announced that "this decision will be made in Brussels on December 12, where the Hungarian presidency, based on today's meeting, will submit a memorandum, which will be validated by the EU Interior Ministers."
"This is what awaits us in the coming days. Budapest will become famous for the fact that the last barrier has been removed here and the way has been opened to formal decisions. I want to congratulate the Prime Minister for the fantastic work he has done in this regard," Viktor Orban added.
President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, reacted on platform X, stating that Romania and Bulgaria fully belong to the Schengen Area.
"Romania and Bulgaria fully belong to the Schengen Area. The elimination of controls at internal land borders is the last obstacle. I welcome the positive outcome of today's informal discussions (Friday - ed.) in Budapest. The official decision of @EUCouncil is next," President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, reacted on platform X.
President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, also welcomed the decision, stating that "a stronger Schengen means a stronger Europe."