EP makes 'strong appeal' for Bulgaria and Romania to join Schengen

The European Parliament calls on Member States to allow Romania and Bulgaria to join the Schengen area in early 2023.

In a resolution adopted by the European Parliament, MEPs urge the Council to take all necessary steps to adopt a decision on the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen area for free movement by the end of 2022. This should ensure the abolition of checks on persons at all internal borders for both countries by early 2023.

The resolution was adopted by 547 votes in “favour”, 49 votes “against” and 43 abstentions.

Noting that the Schengen area is "one of the European Union's greatest achievements", MEPs expressed "astonishment" at the fact that the Council had failed to take a decision on the accession of Bulgaria and Romania, despite the two countries having fulfilled the necessary conditions since 2011.

Maintaining internal border controls is discriminatory and has a serious impact on the lives of mobile workers and citizens, MEPs say.

Internal border controls also have a negative impact on the functioning of the EU's internal market by hindering imports, exports and the free movement of goods from cargo ports, the resolution adds.

Currently, all EU Member States, except Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Ireland and Romania, are part of the Schengen area, which also includes non-EU countries - Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

Members have repeatedly called for Bulgaria and Romania to be fully admitted to Schengen, for example in the 2018 resolution on the subject, the 2020 resolution on the state of Schengen in the context of the pandemic and the 2021 report on the functioning of the free movement area. Today's resolution is the conclusion of the plenary debate of 5 October 2022.

The accession of new countries to Schengen requires a unanimous decision of the EU Council. The Czech Council Presidency has indicated that it intends to hold discussions on the subject before the end of 2022.