Romania's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Internal Affairs Catalin Predoiu, European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson, Hungary's Minister of Interior Sandor Pinter, and Austria's Federal Minister of the Interior Gerhard Karner attend a joint press conference with Bulgaria's Minister of Interior Atanas Ilkov, after their meeting in Budapest, Hungary, November 22, 2024. REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo
BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Romania and Bulgaria may become full members of Europe's borderless Schengen travel zone in January 2025, Hungary said on Friday, adding a final decision would be made at next month's meeting of EU interior ministers.
Romania and Bulgaria, both European Union 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.
