Austria opens door to Romania, Bulgaria in EU free-travel zone – POLITICO

Internal affairs ministers of Hungary, Austria, Bulgaria, and Romania plan to lift checks on land borders with Romania and Bulgaria pending continued efforts to curb irregular migration, while maintaining checks on other borders for security reasons. The potential lifting of controls on the land borders with Bulgaria and Romania is expected to be discussed further on Dec. 12, with Romania and Bulgaria having met Schengen criteria and facing economic challenges due to ongoing checks. The prospect of full Schengen membership is seen as a boost for Romania’s Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, who is currently leading in the presidential polls and anticipates economic growth with full accession.

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