On July 12, The European Parliament adopted a resolution calling for the admission of Romania and Bulgaria into the Schengen area by the end of 2023.
MEPs say that both countries have already fulfilled the necessary requirements to join the free-movement area and call on the Council to approve their accession this year.
The resolution was adopted with 526 votes in favour, 57 votes against, and 42 abstaining.
A larger Schengen area without border controls would make the EU stronger, whereas the current situation is “instrumentalised by anti-EU propaganda” in the two countries. The text also highlights the economic and environmental consequences of keeping the two countries outside of Schengen, and urges the Commission to estimate the costs of non-accession for Romania and Bulgaria, and to analyse options for financial compensation mechanisms, the motion stated.
Currently, all EU member states except Bulgaria, Cyprus, Ireland and Romania are part of the Schengen free-travel area, which also includes the non-EU states Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. The European Parliament has repeatedly supported the accession of Bulgaria and Romania, most recently in a resolution on 5 October 2022 and a debate on 14 December 2022.
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