EU expands the Schengen area: no controls for Bulgaria and Romania

BRUSSELS - After years of laborious negotiations, the EU interior ministers have decided to grant Romania and Bulgaria entry into the Schengen Zone, the area in which there is freedom of movement, in principle without identity checks. The decision was welcomed by the Italian business world in Bucharest and Sofia, not least because it is expected to increase economic exchanges between Italy and the two countries on the Black Sea.

The decision came after some countries had for years obstructed the entry of Romania and Bulgaria into the Schengen Zone. In particular, the Netherlands and Austria were always concerned about the risks of illegal immigration and public order. With time, the last reluctance has also fallen, in the wake of the two countries' commitments to better control their external borders. The decision, which strengthens the two countries' ties with the rest of the Union, coincides with investigations into possible Russian interference in the recent presidential vote in Romania.

Actually, the air and sea border controls of the two Central and Eastern European countries have been lifted since last March. From 1 January it will be the turn of the inevitably more important land borders. Romania has borders with Bulgaria, Ukraine, Moldova, Hungary and Serbia. Bulgaria, on the other hand, has land borders with North Macedonia, Serbia, Greece, Turkey and Romania itself. The Schengen Zone now comprises 29 countries, including 25 EU Member States. Two islands are missing from the list: Ireland and Cyprus.

As mentioned, the announcement from Brussels was welcomed by the Italian business community in Bucharest and Sofia. On the other hand, the Italian business presence is deep-rooted in both countries. According to recent research by the Babeș-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca, on the initiative of the Italian embassy in Bucharest, Romania has around 50 thousand Italian companies (20 thousand of which are fully active). The stock of Italian investments in the country is expected to exceed EUR 9.1 billion in 2023.

Giovanni Pometti, Secretary General of the Italian Chamber of Commerce for Romania, explains from Bucharest: 'Italy is the country's second partner after Germany. With entry into the Schengen Zone, there will certainly be an increase in trade flows and also in direct investments (...) The sectors that will benefit most from accession will be those relating to new technologies, agribusiness and energy. Italian tourism itself will probably increase'.