European Union ministers on Thursday agreed to let Bulgaria and Romania fully integrate into Europe’s ID-check free travel zone, known as the Schengen area, by lifting land border controls from next year,

Romania and Bulgaria will gain full access to the European Union’s passport-free area next year, following a grueling, nearly two-decade push that will help boost their struggling economies.

European Union interior ministers decided on Thursday to drop internal border checks to Bulgaria and Romania from January 1, the Hungarian EU presidency said on X. The move allows the two Eastern European countries to become full members of the visa-free Schengen Area,

EU states on Thursday cleared Bulgaria and Romania to become full members of the borderless Schengen zone from the start of next year, officials said. "It is a historic moment to finally welcome Bulgaria and Romania,

The Netherlands has officially given the green light to the full admission of Bulgaria and Romania to the Schengen area following a vote in the Dutch Parliament to endorse the government's recent decision in this regard,

Romania and Bulgaria, both EU and NATO members, partly joined Schengen in March, after an agreement with Austria which initially opposed their joining on the grounds they needed to do more to prevent illegal immigration.