02/04/24 (Agence Europe) – Bulgaria and Romania officially joined the Schengen area of free movement on Sunday 31 March, following the decision taken at the end of December (see EUROPE 13320/4) to lift air and sea border controls. A decision has yet to be taken on lifting the ground controls. In a press release, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, hailed this as a “historic” day and a “great success” for the two countries and the Schengen area as a whole. “Together, we are building a stronger, more united Europe for all our citizens”, she said in a press release. The Schengen area now has 29 members: all the member countries except Ireland and Cyprus, and four associated countries (Switzerland, Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein). (SP)