Romania, Bulgaria Win Full Access to Passport-Free EU Area

  • Countries granted access to passport-free land border crossing
  • Schengen may boost economies after nearly 2 decades of waiting
Schengen signage at Bucharest Henri Coandă International Airport.Photographer: Daniel Mihailescu/Getty Images
Lock
This article is for subscribers only.

Romania and Bulgaria will gain full access to the European Union’s passport-free area next year in a historic decision that will help boost their struggling economies.

The decision to approveBloomberg Terminal the two countries’ access to the Schengen area via land borders from Jan. 1 came at a meeting of the bloc’s interior ministers on Thursday and follows a grueling, nearly two-decade push.