On Thursday, the European Commission reaffirmed its position that Romania and Bulgaria are fully prepared for full accession to the Schengen area."Regarding the Commission's position on lifting internal border controls for Bulgaria and Romania, this remains clear, as President Ursula von der Leyen stated in the political guidelines for the next European Commission (2024-2029): Bulgaria and Romania have demonstrated their capacity related to border management and returns. They are prepared and should fully benefit from the Schengen area," a spokesman for the European Commission told Agerpres.He thus answered a question regarding the consequences of the introduction of internal border controls by several Schengen states on the expansion of this area through the full integration of Bulgaria and Romania, including land borders."The Council will have to take an additional decision to set a date for the lifting of internal land border controls between Bulgaria, Romania and other Schengen countries. The Commission will continue to provide all necessary support to the Presidency of the Council to ensure that a decision on land borders can be taken in 2024,'' the quoted spokesperson added.Ten days ago, Germany introduced, for a period of six months, controls at all its land borders to combat illegal immigration.The German authorities had already introduced controls at the borders with several neighboring countries, and from September 16 these measures were extended to the borders with Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands and Denmark.According to the EU asylum rules (the so-called Dublin regulation), asylum applications must be processed in the member state where the migrant first enters the EU bloc.The Schengen area is the free movement area of the European Union that includes most of the 27 EU member states. At the end of March of this year, Romania, together with Bulgaria, joined this area partially - only with air and sea borders due to the lack of unanimity in the EU Council, and a decision on the elimination of land border controls is still awaited.
Romanian authorities are reportedly considering imposing an access fee for the Transfăgărășan mountain road. The funds would be used for setting up decent parking areas, selecting merchants, and similar initiatives. The beautiful, winding road is one of the most visited tourist attractions in the country. Local authorities say the funds from an eventual toll would […]
Colombian reggaeton superstar J Balvin will perform in Dubai for the first time this November, headlining Untold, the globally recognized festival born in Romania. The event will take place from November 6 to 9 at Dubai Parks and Resorts, featuring more than 100 international acts across five stages. The festival is staged in partnership with […]
More than 17% of Romania’s population faced severe material and social deprivation last year, which was one of the highest shares in the EU, according to the statistical bureau of the European Union - Eurostat. In 2024, 6.4% of people in the European Union faced severe material and social deprivation, a slight decrease compared to […]
The Freedom and Respect for Every Earthling association will hold the March for Animal Rights in Bucharest on October 4, to mark International Animal Day. The march will start at 11 AM at the National Theater Park, and will go on to Piața Victoriei. Organizers say they aim to bring to the forefront the suffering […]
Several Israeli citizens got into a fight on a plane flying from Israel to Bucharest on Monday, September 15. Upon landing, Romanian police issued several fines. The scandal reportedly broke out for religious reasons. The argument involved roughly 30 passengers of the flight from Tel Aviv to Bucharest. At one point, seven passengers started to […]
Only 145 companies in Romania, out of more than 800,000 active businesses, managed to grow their revenues and remain profitable every year between 2008 and 2024, according to an analysis published by business intelligence platform Termene.ro. The study found that these firms, representing just one in every 5,500 companies (or 0.02% of the total), generated […]
