The European Parliament has given Bulgaria permission to join the other 27 nations that make up the Schengen zone by the end of 2023.
This is based on a European Commission resolution that states Bulgaria and Romania will be fully admitted to Schengen by the end of 2023 if all prerequisites are met.
By becoming a member of Schengen, Bulgarian and Romanian nationals traveling within the EU and the Schengen Area would no longer require a passport check.
Travelers from outside of Europe, as well as digital nomads from Nigeria and other nations, will benefit from easier international travel as a result of its addition.
Many countries, including Nigeria, are limited to a 90-day stay every 180 days in the Schengen region.By the beginning of 2024, it is anticipated that Romania and Bulgaria would have entered the Schengen Area, having an impact on digital nomads and non-European visitors from Nigeria and other countries as well as Europe.
Both nations have previously met the standards to be admitted to Schengen, according to reports. The EU would be stronger if Schengen were expanded and border restrictions were eliminated according to the parliament which emphasized that each member state has the right to do so when they are prepared.
According to the Parliament, the fact that Romania and Bulgaria are still not part of the region with visa-free travel places a financial and social burden on their enterprises and populations.
The majority of the region’s travel will be seamless, according to the parliament, eliminating the need for onerous identity checks and long waits when traveling between countries.
Croatia, a Balkan nation, just joined the Schengen Area and switched to the Euro in January 2023.
The exclusion of Bulgaria and Romania from the Schengen Area resulted in unwarranted delays, administrative difficulties, and higher costs, according to the European Commission.
Since Bulgaria and Romania joined the EU in 2007, they have been waiting to join Schengen, mostly because of worries about transnational crime, undocumented immigration, and security difficulties. There have previously been worries about potential threats to Europe’s internal security due to their proximity to non-EU countries and migrant routes.
These aspirant countries required approval from each current Schengen member state in order to join the Schengen Area.
Here are the current 27 countries in the Schengen Zone listed below:
Austria
Belgium
Czech Republic
Croatia
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Iceland
Italy
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
Netherlands
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
