Romania and Bulgaria’s accession to the Schengen Area, expanding the zone to 29 nations, marks a significant development in European integration with which to kick-off 2025. And yet, it comes in a tense political context, not only owing to general euroscepticism across the continent, but, in the case of Romania, to its recent election cancellation.
We may begin by providing some background. Schengen, initiated in 1985 as an agreement among five EU countries, has evolved into the world’s largest border-free travel area. Before Romania and Bulgaria’s inclusion, Schengen was comprised by 23 EU member countries, along with non-EU members Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein.
However, concerns about migration and security have prompted some Schengen countries, including Austria, Germany, and the Netherlands, to reinstate temporary land border checks, raising concerns among EU officials about potential threats to the system’s coherence.
The recent expansion concludes what has been a 13-year wait, a period of long drawn-out efforts to extend the border-free area to these two Eastern European countries. Integration into the Schengen-zone eliminates identity checks at land borders between Bulgaria, Romania, and their EU neighbours, granting travellers unimpeded access to the bloc—which was precisely what Austria and others feared.
While Romania and Bulgaria joined the EU in 2007, their entry into the Schengen zone faced delays primarily due to Austria’s objection, articulated in late 2022, to the effect that these countries had not put enough measures in place to curb unauthorized migration through their territory.
In contrast, Hungary, during its EU presidency, played a crucial role in facilitating Bulgaria and Romania’s full inclusion in the Schengen zone, as the move represents a particular advantage for the sizable population of ethnic Hungarians residing in Romania’s Transylvania region, a legacy of Hungary’s territorial losses after World War I.
With the decision by Austria and other member states to lift their objections, things have finally moved forward.
So much for the European-context.
Domestically, in the case of Romania, the move appears more problematic.
Călin Georgescu, a Romanian presidential candidate who garnered significant support in the 2024 elections, was recently barred from the country’s democratic process on account of supposed ties to Russia.
Georgescu had expressed strong opposition to Schengen membership. His campaign portrayed further European integration as a threat to Romanian sovereignty and traditional values.
“Entering Schengen means being on a stage where everyone is brainwashed,” he reflected in April 2023, during a conversation with Sorin Constantinescu, former government advisor and ex-AUR member Sorin Constantinescu.
Georgescu’s unexpected success in the first round of the presidential election, coupled with allegations of Russian interference, prompted the Romanian Constitutional Court to annul the results, citing “aggressive hybrid Russian attacks” aimed at manipulating the election. Georgescu, for his part, called this an attack on democracy, declaring that “the Romanian state has trampled on democracy.” The move has been widely criticized, including by Elena Lasconi, Georgescu’s liberal opponent, who was set to stand against him during the cancelled second-round of voting.
Entering the Schengen zone immediately after a popular candidate critical of European integration was excluded from Romanian elections draws the democratic nature of this move into question. The timing cannot but raise questions not only concerning the health of democratic institutions within Romania, but also the possible deleterious nature of EU influence. It may thus precisely fuel narratives about elements within Brussels’ political class pushing its agenda at the cost of national sovereignty or democratic integrity.
