Two New Countries Will Join Europe's Schengen Area in 2024

For travelers around the world, including Filipinos, a Schengen visa is highly coveted. Having it in your passport means gaining entry to 27 countries in Europe, from large countries like France, Germany and Poland to relatively smaller ones like Latvia, Malta, and Iceland. 

Starting March 2024, two new countries will join the Schengen zone, albeit partially.

Bulgaria and Romania have struck up a deal to finally join the borderless bloc after about a decade of trying. According to news reports, the two countries will join the Schengen area initially by air and sea starting March 2024. Talks will continue next year about opening up the land borders of the two countries to other Schengen states.

While the two countries have long wanted to join the Schengen zone, their application had been blocked by Austria, which was concerned about illegal migrants entering Europe through Turkish and other routes.

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According to a report in the BBC, Vienna initially vetoed Schengen’s expansion last year, saying it was unfairly dealing with the illegal immigrants crisis, but recently relaxed its position through the air and sea travel compromise. It also urged the European Union to strengthen its external borders. 

Both Bulgarian and Romania have seen increased arrivals of migrants seeking asylum on theiwr way further into Europe. 

“After thirteen years, Romania will finally join Schengen - we have a political agreement," Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said on Facebook. “As of next March, Romanians can benefit from the advantages of the Schengen area by air and sea. I am also convinced that in 2024 we will close negotiations on land borders.”

Ciolacu’s statement was echoed by Bulgarian Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov, who confirmed that an agreement was reached after “complicated negotiations.” 

“After 12 years without much progress on Schengen, today we can congratulate ourselves on this indisputable success of Bulgaria,” he said. 

Croatia was the latest EU member to join the Schengen zone in January 2023.

Now that Romania and Bulgaria are partially joining Schengen, the two remaining EU states that are not part of the Schengen zone are Ireland and Cyprus.

Meanwhile, the four countries that are part of the Schengen zone but are not members of the EU Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, and Lichtenstein.