EESC Calls for a Definitive Date for Bulgaria and Romania’s Full Schengen Integration and the Removal of Land Border Controls

The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) has adopted an opinion addressing the impact on the European single market of Bulgaria and Romania remaining outside the Schengen area. The opinion was approved during an EESC plenary session held on 4 December in Brussels. The rapporteur for the opinion is Maria Mincheva, Vice President of the Bulgarian Industrial Association (BIA). She is a member of both the Employers’ Group of the EESC and the Employers’ Group of the Economic and Social Council of the Republic of Bulgaria.

The opinion’s key recommendation to the EU Council is to establish a definitive date for the removal of land border controls between Bulgaria, Romania, and the other EU Member States.

“By taking active steps towards the full integration of Bulgaria and Romania into the Schengen area, the EU can strengthen its internal cohesion, enhance its competitiveness, and uphold the fundamental principles of free movement and solidarity that lie at the core of the European project,” the opinion emphasises.

The EESC paper highlights the economic implications of Schengen for the EU’s internal market, focusing on the missed opportunities and direct losses caused by the ongoing land border controls for Bulgaria and Romania. The analysis identifies several adverse effects, including restrictions on trade and tourism, reduced competitiveness, increased costs for businesses, political and social repercussions, and negative environmental impacts.

The document outlines the negative effects of these controls on businesses, workers, and consumers, as well as on the overall investment climate in Bulgaria and Romania. It underscores that both countries have met all the necessary criteria for the complete removal of border controls—by air, water, and land—since 2011.