Residents from Romania and Bulgaria can now travel freely in the Schengen area.
The combined 25 million residents of Bulgaria and Romania now join nearly 450 million EU citizens who already have the freedom to move around the Schengen zone, after land border checks were officially lifted.
It had been a long time coming, as the two countries first joined the European Union seventeen years ago – and negotiations to enter the Schengen Area began in 2011.
When the European Commission gave the green light to the countries in December, it marked an important signal to citizens of the two countries that they could now feel like fully fledged members of the European Union.
No more queues at borders
The Schengen zone was first established in 1985 and now includes 29 countries, most of which are EU nations, as well as some non-EU countries, including Iceland and Switzerland.
Until today, residents of the countries have had to queue for long periods of time at the 30 land borders between Romania and Bulgaria as they awaited official checks.
For Bulgarians and Romanians, this means that they will now be able to drive to France, Spain and Norway without a passport. Drivers and passengers no longer need to show any identity documents, and cars may pass without control.
However, at least for the first six months, random checks will be carried out on travellers at the border to deter criminal activities, with a particular focus on larger vehicles.
It may also mean that more Europeans visit Romania and Bulgaria too, bringing with it a new generation of tourists.
