Prime Minister Viktor Orbán announced in this regard: the obstacle has been removed, and Romanian and Bulgarian Schengen accession is on the way.
The interior ministers of the European Union member states will vote on the Hungarian proposal for Romania and Bulgaria to join the Schengen area on 12 December in Brussels. Viktor Orbán confirmed that the Hungarian, Austrian, Romanian and Bulgarian interior ministers discussed correctly at the meeting in Budapest on 22 November that illegal border crossings should be significantly reduced and the fight against illegal migration should be intensified.
We were able to establish that both Romania and Bulgaria have made fantastic progress in this regard, and here today, the Hungarians, the Austrians, the Romanians and the Bulgarians have established that all conditions have been met and all obstacles that have so far made it impossible for Romania to join the Schengen area have been removed. This means that we have agreed that all four countries will work towards Romania becoming a full member of the Schengen area, not only through the airports, but also on land, as of January 1st. "We will make a decision on this on 12 December in Brussels, where the Hungarian Presidency will make a proposal based on today's meeting in Budapest, which the interior ministers of the European Union can confirm," Prime Minister Viktor Orbán emphasized.
The Prime Minister also said: "We also discussed bilateral issues, we have a working relationship, but I must also note that the last time a Romanian Prime Minister visited Budapest was in 2008, so it was timely to remedy this, and I am glad that we were able to meet not only in Bucharest, but now in Budapest as well."
