Border controls along the Danube between Bulgaria and Romania will continue beyond March 31.

Border controls along the Danube between Bulgaria and Romania will continue beyond March 31.

Key Points

  • Despite Bulgaria and Romania's partial Schengen Membership, border controls along the Danube River will persist.
  • This decision is attributed to the classification of river borders as land borders.
  • The European Commission source confirmed the announcement.

Border controls along the Danube River between Bulgaria and Romania will remain in place even after the partial accession of both countries to the Schengen Zone via air and sea on March 31. This decision was verified by a source from the European Commission speaking to BNR, emphasizing the categorization of river borders as land borders.

According to a report from BNR, as of March 21, there has been heavy truck traffic at the border checkpoints between Bulgaria and Romania, including Vidin and Durankulak, Kardam and Oryahovo, as confirmed by the Border Police. Similarly, there has been significant traffic at border checkpoints Kapitan Andreevo and Lesovo on the border with Turkey, as well as at the Kulata border checkpoint with Greece. However, traffic remains normal on the borders with Serbia and North Macedonia.

Although Bulgaria and Romania will partially join the Schengen Zone for air and sea travel on March 31, land border checks will persist, as warned by Finnish authorities in Romania, effective from April 1. While Schengen membership typically allows for free movement without passport checks within member countries, the exception for Romania and Bulgaria limits this privilege to air and sea transport due to continued passport controls for land borders, considering rivers and lakes between countries as land borders.

The absence of a specific date for the full accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen Zone poses significant challenges. Recently, MEPs from the Petitions Committee urged the EU to set a date for their membership no later than mid-2024 to alleviate long queues for heavy goods vehicles at EU borders, particularly those with the Western Balkans. Austrian economist and politician Gunther Fehlinger advocated for Bulgaria and Romania's full acceptance into the Schengen Zone by May 1, 2024, rejecting further conditions for their accession.

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