MEPs are set to call on EU countries to admit Romania and Bulgaria as full members of the Schengen area without further delay, https://www.europarl.europa.eu/ reports. In a debate with the Commission on Tuesday afternoon, MEPs are expected to urge the Council to swiftly finalise the work on Romania and Bulgaria’s full accession to the Schengen free-travel area. Border checks between the two countries and other Schengen members were lifted în March 2024 for maritime and air traffic, but checks remain in place at land borders. Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu and Bulgarian Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev have recently told the media that they expect a Council decision on Romania and Bulgaria’s full accession soon, to be effective in the first months of 2025. Background All EU member states except Bulgaria, Cyprus, Ireland and Romania are part of the Schengen free-travel area, which also includes Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. The Parliament has repeatedly supported the accession of Bulgaria and Romania, most recently in resolutions on 18 October 2022 and 12 July 2023, and called on the Council to ensure that the two member states can join without delay.