EU’s Justice and Home Affairs Council to review Romania’s Schengen readiness again

The Hungarian Presidency of the EU Council will present the current state of full implementation of the Schengen acquis in Bulgaria and Romania at the Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) Council in Luxembourg, October 10, according to a statement from the Council.

On December 30, 2023, the Council decided to eliminate checks at air and sea borders with Bulgaria and Romania. A further decision from the Council is required to establish the date for removing checks at the internal land borders with Bulgaria and Romania, the source specifies.

During this week's meeting, ministers will exchange views on the implementation of the priorities from the annual Schengen Council cycle, and the discussion will focus on the priority of strengthening the resilience of external borders. The European Commission will also present the Schengen Barometer, a biannual report that analyzes recorded developments as well as emerging threats in the Schengen Area.

European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, stated during the European Parliament's plenary session that her message at the Justice and Home Affairs Council in Luxembourg would be that Romania and Bulgaria must join the Schengen Area with their land borders by the end of the year.

"Bulgaria and Romania have done everything possible; they have implemented all the additional measures, and my message to the ministers at Thursday’s Council (Justice and Home Affairs Council) will be to take the final step. Lift the controls at the land borders by the end of the year. They deserve it. The time has come," Ylva Johansson urged, according to Agerpres.

She also emphasized during the debate that the reintroduction of internal border controls must be a temporary and last-resort measure.

"I am so proud of this mandate. We have brought Croatia, Bulgaria, and Romania into Schengen. I have fought very hard for this. The impact on people is enormous. No passports and no lines. This is what Europe is about,” Ylva Johansson added.

Romanian and Bulgarian officials have expressed hope that their countries will obtain a decision for full accession to the free movement area by the end of this year. However, Austria, which has been blocking such a decision, has not indicated a change in its position. The country's recent legislative elections were also won by the Freedom Party (FPO), a declared opponent of Schengen expansion.