The full accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen area stimulated the EU economy – the European Commission report

The full integration of Bulgaria and Romania in the Schengen area, on January 1, 2025, significantly improved the EU economy, according to the 2025 report on the Schengen area, published by the European Commission on Wednesday.

The two countries would save billions of euros in costs, according to the CE report, quoted by the Agerpres Agency.

At the beginning of 2025, both countries fully joined Schengen, after a process that lasted 18 years. Before renouncing internal border controls, companies in Bulgaria and Romania paid billions of euros per year due to increased logistics costs, delay of deliveries, high prices for fuels and salaries for carriers.

The document shows that last year many decisions were made for the strengthening of Schengen, to protect the external borders and to set an example with the joint work of Bulgaria, Austria, Greece, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia. The activities carried out at the border between Bulgaria and Turkey were highlighted to prevent threats to the EU.

The Schengen area has brought deep EU benefits to European citizens. It is the spine of the European internal market and makes life easier for almost 450 million people, the report shows. Last year, more than half a billion people visited the Schengen area, which increased economic growth.

Schengen security systems helped reduce the number of people who illegally crossed the external borders. This number reached a low record level in 2024. According to the report, there was a 12% increase in the return of foreign citizens who did not have the right to stay in the Schengen area.