Bulgaria and Romania could become full members of Europe's Schengen travel zone starting at the beginning of 2025, Hungarian officials said on Friday.
The two Balkan countries joined the European Union in 2007 but were not integrated into the borderless Schengen zone until March, when border checks were lifted from maritime and air travel. Land border checks remained in place due to opposition primarily from Austria, which has long blocked Schengen entry for the two countries over illegal migration concerns.
