Following a 13-year anticipation, Bulgaria and Romania have entered into a partial integration with Europe’s Schengen area, allowing for free movement. Late last year, an agreement was reached to enable their participation in the continent’s free-travel zone via air and sea routes. Austria's opposition hindered full membership, arguing that more measures were necessary to curb irregular migration. Nevertheless, the significance of lifting border controls at air and sea entry points for both countries on Sunday cannot be overstated, both practically and symbolically.

Established in 1985, the Schengen area facilitates unrestricted travel for over 400 million individuals within the European Union, eliminating internal border checks. With the inclusion of Bulgaria and Romania as partial members, the Schengen zone now encompasses 29 participants, encompassing 25 of the 27 EU member states along with Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein.

While certain travelers have cause for jubilation, truck drivers, contending with extensive queues at borders with neighboring European countries, feel excluded from the benefits. The UNTRR, a prominent road transport union in Romania, has urged for immediate actions to achieve full integration into the Schengen area, lamenting the substantial financial burdens resulting from prolonged delays.

Austria's apprehensions regarding Bulgaria and Romania's management of irregular migration at their land borders stand as a primary obstacle to the application of Schengen rules in these regions. Bulgaria's Interior Minister, Kalin Stoyanov, expressed to journalists on Sunday his country's aspiration to achieve full Schengen membership by the year's end, thereby eliminating border checkpoints for road and rail travelers and goods. Similarly, the Romanian prime minister has indicated that negotiations regarding land borders are expected to conclude this year. Both nations have partnered in a regional police initiative with Austria, Greece, and Slovakia to address irregular migration flow, while the EU's border agency, Frontex, announced plans last month to triple its officer presence in Bulgaria to curb unauthorized entries from Turkey into the bloc.