“`html

BLAGOEVGRAD/RUSE – Bulgaria and Romania became full members of Schengen at midnight on January 1. At the border checkpoint “Danube Bridge” at Ruse, the interior ministers of the two countries – Atanas Ilkov and Katalin Predoyu, welcomed the new year and symbolically lifted the barrier at the checkpoint. At the ceremony, Ilkov stated that the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to Schengen is a historic success achieved jointly based on trust.

Bulgaria and Romania have completed a project of significance not only for the two countries but also for Europe, said Katalin Predoyu. 

The acceptance of Bulgaria into the Schengen area is a historic event, the result of the efforts of many people, stated the Bulgarian interim Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev, who checked how the crossing was being carried out at the “Kulata” checkpoint on the first day of Bulgaria and Romania’s full acceptance into Schengen. From Greece to Finland – the northernmost point, and Portugal – the westernmost, it is possible to pass without a border, said Glavchev.

The removal of border control will make Europe even stronger and more prosperous, wrote the Bulgarian European Commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva on her Facebook profile.

Bulgaria is not just an attractive destination, Bulgaria is a safe destination, and for tourism, this is extremely important, said the interim Minister of Tourism Evtim Miloshev to journalists at the “Kulata” checkpoint. 

The Director of the Main Directorate “Border Police” Chief Commissioner Anton Zlatanov commented that a new organization will be created for checking vehicles passing through the points with Romania and Greece. We will work in the 30-kilometer border zone, explained Zlatanov, adding that there will be border police there to check vehicles using the “risk analysis” method.

The Executive Director of the National Revenue Agency (NRA) Rumen Spetsov assured that control at the places of goods unloading will be strengthened. NRA employees will no longer be at the points themselves, but inside the country, however, this will in no way lower the level of security of the inspection, he said.

We are ready to introduce artificial intelligence that will provide us with information about what passes through the country’s territory, said the Director of the Customs Agency Georgi Dimov. With the help of a scanner, trained dogs, and a joint team of representatives from the control institutions, reviews and checks of vehicles will be conducted at random or by signal submission, he said. 

The decision to abolish checks on the land Schengen borders of Bulgaria and Romania from January 1, 2025, was made by the EU Council on December 12 last year, at the end of the Hungarian presidency. It concerns checks on the borders of Bulgaria with Greece and Romania, and of Romania with Bulgaria and Hungary. From March 31, 2024, checks on the air and sea Schengen borders of Bulgaria and Romania were removed with a decision adopted at the end of the Spanish presidency in 2023. (January 1, 2025)

“`