With Austria giving up its last objections, Romania and Bulgaria will become full members of the Schengen no-border area by January. Only a formal EU Council vote this month is needed, and it is now only a formality.
Austria’s objections over border and migration issues kept the two EU members, obligated by treaty to join Schengen, waiting at the door for more than a decade; since last spring, border checks at ports and airports have been gone, and the new decision will remove them from land crossings as well.
Ironically, the move comes at a time when there are increasing ’emergency’ returns of border checks among the 29 members of the Schengen group. Although they are temporary, there are concerns that they might presage a less-open internal European border system.
Once the two are fully in, only two EU members will be outside the Schengen zone, one by choice, and one because its eligibility is still being considered. Schengen membership is a requirement for EU members, although the UK and with it Ireland were granted an opt-out, which Ireland has continued because of its open border with its neighbor. Cyprus’s membership is still under examination to determine whether its border systems are in compliance.
Aside from the EU members, four other states have been allowed to join the zone: Liechtenstein and Switzerland, which are surrounded by members, and Norway and Iceland, which are closely linked to Sweden and Denmark.
