Romania - December 2023

A decision by the European Council accelerated the integration of Romania into the Schengen area, starting with lifting border controls for people traveling by air and sea between Romania and other Schengen countries. The change will enter into force in March 2024. Discussions on possibilities to lift controls at land borders are expected to continue in 2024. The European Commission first confirmed Romania’s readiness, having fulfilled the technical requirements, to join the Schengen area of free movement without border controls in 2011, and pilot projects were launched to improve external border management. The decision was facilitated by a political agreement reached earlier in the month with Austria, which had previously vetoed Romania’s accession to Schengen in 2022.

Sources: European Commission, European Council (1), European Council (2), Euractiv, RFE/RL, Libertatea