Europe: Romania and Bulgaria partially merge the Schengen Area

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Bulgaria's accession to the Schengen Area by air and sea on March 31 was marked by a symbolic opening of borders. The event was held on Sunday at Sofia Airport Terminal 2.

The ceremony was attended by outgoing Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov and members of the government. During the ceremony, a flight from Germany received about 200 passengers who entered the country without going through passport control, and each of them received a souvenir.

On Sunday, Romanian airports received the first passengers, after the country also partially joined the Schengen Area.

The new status of the two countries does not apply to land routes due to the veto of Austria, which fears the influx of illegal immigrants

While the easing of regulations is expected to have a positive impact on the tourism sector, there are concerns about long queues at EU land borders, as well as their impact on trade and the health and safety of drivers.

Truck drivers are often stuck in queues stretching for several kilometers at the border of Romania and Bulgaria.

Only three percent of Bulgarian goods are transported by air or sea, while the remaining 97% are transported by land, according to the Bulgarian Industrial Capital Association (BICA).

Discussions will continue on when controls on people at internal land borders could be lifted in 2024.