site.btaVon der Leyen in State of Union Address: "Bulgaria and Romania Are Part of Our Schengen Area, So Let Us Finally Bring Them In"

In her State of the Union address Wednesday, EC President Ursula von der Leyen called for admitting Bulgaria and Romania to Schengen "without further delay". "They have proved it: Bulgaria and Romania are part of our Schengen area," von der Leyen said adding: "So let us finally bring them in — without any further delay."

The EC President also thanked Bulgaria and Romania "for leading the way and showcasing best practices on both asylum and returns". 

It is the last State of the Union address during this Commission's tenure. Von der Leyen spoke in it about EU enlargement, migration, environmental protection, the shape of the EU economy, war in Ukraine, women's rights and gender equality.

Bulgaria and Romania have long met the technical criteria for membership of the European border-free area but actual accession has not happened due to persistent objections from the Netherlands and Austria. The aspiring members are working hard to overcome these objections and hopefully be allowed into the Schengen Area this year.