Romania and Bulgaria will become full members of the Schengen Area that allows free movement of 420 million people between 29 mostly European Union countries without border checks from Jan. 1, the EU said Thursday.

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,

The European Union ministers has 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 next year

Romania and Bulgaria will become full members of Europe'sSchengen free-travel area from next month, swelling the number of nations to 29, the EU said on Thursday. Checks at land borders with Bulgaria and Romania will stop from Jan.

After years of debates and opposition, Bucharest and Sofia received the greenlight to join the border-free area.

The European Council concluded on December 10 that Bulgaria and Romania fulfill the essential criteria for complete accession to the Schengen Area.

European Union ministers on Thursday agreed to let Bulgaria and Romania fully integrate into Europe’s ID-check free travel zone, known as the

Border controls between the two countries, as well as Romania-Hungary and Bulgaria-Greece will end on January 1, 2025.

The European Union on Thursday approved the full membership of Bulgaria and Romania in the Schengen Area, effective from 1 January 2025. The Hungarian Presidency of the EU Council hailed the decision as "a historic moment" and "a great victory for Bulgaria, Romania, and all of Europe."

Seventeen years after Romania and Bulgaria joined the European Union, they have been given the green light to become members of its border-free Schengen travel zone. The decision by fellow EU member states means that from 1 January 2025,