Romania Joined The Schengen Area And A Hungarian Dog Was The First To Cross Over While Everyone Clapped
A video of the moment has gained more than six million views on X in less than 24 hours, with many people calling the dog "a good boy."
On Tuesday, Jan. 1, Romania and Bulgaria officially became full members of the Schengen Area, a group of 29 European countries without border checks where people can travel between as if they are in one country.
The two countries celebrated their full memberships with fireworks near the Bulgarian town of Ruse at midnight.
The Bulgarian and Romanian interior ministers also took part in a ceremony to raise a barrier on the Friendship Bridge over the Danube River that connects Ruse in Bulgaria and Giurgiu in Romania, according to Reuters.
But the highlight of the celebration was a Hungarian dog who became the first to cross the border into Romania at midnight, greeted by cheers and applause from the crowd.
A video of the moment has gained more than six million views on X in less than 24 hours, with many people calling the dog "a good boy."
Romania and Bulgaria had actually joined the Schengen Area for air and sea travel in March 2024, but land border crossings still remained subject to border controls.
Both countries had met technical requirements since 2012 but other countries, mostly Austria, had objected to removing land border checks, claiming Romania and Bulgaria were not doing enough to prevent migrants from entering illegally, according to Al Jazeera.
After years of negotiations and discussions, Austria lifted its objections in December 2024, allowing Romania and Bulgaria to join the Schengen Area completely.
However, random checks will be implemented between Romania, Hungary and Bulgaria to "prevent any serious threat to public policy and internal security" for "at least" the first six months.
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Flavie Chen
Flavie Chen
Flavie Chen
