After 13 years in the antechamber of the Schengen Area, Romania and Bulgaria will become full members of this free movement area, both on land and in the air, from tomorrow Wednesday, which is a powerful symbolism for the two eastern European countries.

The two countries were already with one foot in Schengen after airport and port controls were abolished in March 2024. In mid-December they finally received the green light from their European partners, gaining the same privileges for their land borders as well.

Festive events are planned at various border crossings just before the start of the New Year at midnight tonight.

This is the end of a long wait for the two former communist countries, which are among the poorest in the EU. They have met the technical criteria since 2011, but “each time, member countries have expressed objections, recalled analyst Valentin Naumscu. Over the years, this problem became a source of frustration, which anti-European parties exploited to denounce the unfair treatment of Romania, he explained, citing as an example the recent presidential elections (which have since been annulled) in which a far-right candidate unexpectedly emerged victorious.