According to a report from the Bulgarian News Agency, the study conducted in early 2024, upon the initiative of the Ministry of Economy and Industry, brings into light the economic impact of the forthcoming decision that means the land border accession of Bulgaria to the EU’s passport-free travel zone.
Among the main beneficiaries of this decision would be heavy road transport and producers as well as exporters of goods, whose direct costs, according to the institute, are estimated at €432.04 million.
According to the report of BTA, another benefit of full accession of Bulgaria to the Schengen Area would also be the elimination of delays which are caused by border controls for Bulgarian citizens when crossing the land border with Romania and Greece, which sometimes reach 242,437 days.
The report from the Institute for Economic Research (IER) at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS) also says that citizens of Romania and Greece travelling to Bulgaria will also benefit from the full Schengen accession of Bulgaria to the borderless area of Schengen, with a saving of 217,998 days.
A significant contribution would also be noted in the tourism sector. The land border accession of Bulgaria to the Schengen zone would also bring several environmental benefits, according to the report. The same highlights that a significant reduction of carbon emissions would come following the abolishment of land border controls.
Significant Financial Losses for Bulgaria for Remaining Outside Schengen in Terms of Land Borders
Earlier this year, Nikolay Rashkov, from the expert group on transport in the European Commission, said that the financial losses that Bulgaria faces due to land border controls are startling.
However, in the meeting of November 22 between interior ministers of Bulgaria, Romania, Austria and Hungary, an agreement was reached that paved the way for the full accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen Zone.
Soon after the meeting, the Prime Minister of Romania, Marcel Ciolacu, said that the full accession of Romania to Schengen will come on January 1, 2025, which also means the same for Romania.
