SOFIA, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) member states have decided to remove checks on persons at the internal land borders with and between Bulgaria and Romania from Jan. 1, 2025, the Council of the EU said in a press release on Thursday.
"It is a historic moment to finally welcome Bulgaria and Romania as full Schengen members," said Sandor Pinter, Hungarian minister for home affairs, as cited by the press release.
"This step will benefit not only Bulgarian and Romanian citizens, but also the EU as a whole," Pinter said.
Since their accession to the EU, Bulgaria and Romania have applied parts of the Schengen legal framework, the Schengen acquis, including those relating to external border controls, police cooperation and the use of the Schengen Information System, the press release said.
On Dec. 30 last year, the Council adopted a decision to apply, from March 31, 2024, the remaining parts of the Schengen acquis and to abolish checks on persons at internal air and sea borders, it said.
In a joint communique on Thursday, the foreign ministries of Bulgaria and Romania described the completion of the two countries' full integration into the Schengen area as "a historic decision" and a recognition of their contributions to European security, including the effective protection of the EU's external borders. ■