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.
Cambridge School of Bucharest (CSB) has been shortlisted for the Student Mental Health Initiative of the Year category in the Tes Awards for International Schools 2025, becoming the only school in Romania to appear on this year’s shortlist. The nomination recognises CSB’s pioneering, student-led approach to promoting well-being across the Secondary School and reflects the […]
The Romanian Film Festival UK (RFF25UK) begins this week with a program showcasing a selection of new and archive Romanian feature films, documentaries, and shorts. The festival will open with the UK premiere of Traffic, Romania's 2026 Academy Awards entry. The film is directed by Teodora Ana Mihai from a screenplay by Palme d'Or–winning filmmaker […]
The government is preparing a major overhaul of state-owned companies, deputy prime minister Oana Gheorghiu announced on Monday, November 24, unveiling plans for a unified registry and initial reforms targeting 10 key enterprises. According to her, Romania currently has 1,502 state-owned companies, including 230 at central level and 1,272 under local authorities. Among central entities, […]
Two Romanians reportedly forced open an emergency exit and ran after the plane that was preparing to take off for Bucharest from Cologne, southwestern Germany, on Friday, November 21. The two, aged 28 and 47, were late for boarding, at which point they broke an emergency window and activated a button to open a secured […]
NOËL, the longest-running designer gift fair in Romania, will hold its 16th edition on December 13–14 at Unirea Shopping Center in Bucharest. The event will feature more than 100 designers presenting handmade and curated gifts, including unique pieces, capsule collections, and seasonal items. The fair will host creators from Romania as well as artists from […]
Romania will celebrate its National Day on December 1 with a large military parade in Bucharest featuring Romanian and allied troops. The event will also showcase an extensive display of military equipment and aircraft at the Arch of Triumph. More than 2,900 servicemembers and specialists from the Ministry of National Defense, Interior Ministry, Romanian Intelligence […]
