Observer Experiment. How does a flight to Italy proceed, after Romania’s entry into Schengen. The wait lasted 13 years

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Romania entered by air and sea Schengen, a moment awaited for 13 years. From midnight, the boarding procedure at the airports takes place much faster. When we fly to member states of the free movement area, document control is no longer necessary. Ironically, the first flight whose passengers were not screened after landing in Bucharest came from Vienna. Ironic, because Austria is the only country that opposes land accession. However, the authorities promise us that, by the end of the year, we will also get rid of the customs queues.

By the Observator editorial team on 31.03.2024, 19:38

The Observatory team left early in the morning by plane to the free movement area. It was the first time that we were not asked for our passports. “The only place where, however, we are asked for an identity card is when boarding the plane,” says Cristi Popovici, Observer reporter. From Otopeni I left for Bergamo and after a short journey I said “Buongiorno”. “The Italians also found out that we arrived in Schengen and we are entering the path of real Europeans. Finally, after so much time, we are in Schengen. We no longer have to go through passport control. We simply landed 5 minutes ago, arrived at the terminal and now we go directly to the taxi, to the subway, to the bus, what do we have to do to get further into the city”, said Cristi Popovici, Observer reporter.

Although we have entered the European space without borders, it does not mean that there will be no more random checks

It would have been, but Austria opposed it. Coincidentally, the first to arrive in Bucharest after joining Air Schengen were the passengers of a flight from Vienna. “It’s an irony of fate, but we hope to fight to fully enter Schengen, in Romania,” says a man. Although we have entered the European space without borders, it does not mean that there will be no more random checks. Especially in the case of minors. For now, we are in Schengen only by air and sea. “The entire surface of the port of Constanţa is currently designated as a free zone. Non-EU goods arriving by sea in the port of Constanţa are unloaded and stored in the specialized terminals of the port operators. After that, they are either put into free circulation by paying import duties, or transit customs declarations are submitted and sent to the interior of the Union”, said Alexandru Mateiciuc, head of the Customs Office.

However, major changes are only for tourists. The passengers who will arrive on board the cruise ships will no longer be controlled, provided that the ports they pass through are in the Schengen area, obviously. In the case of pleasure vessels, they will enter Romania through maritime and tourist ports, without the crew members being subject to systematic checks at the border. The coincidence means that today, in Constanţa, the first river cruise ship, also from Austria, arrived.

The passengers were checked, as before. Naval transport, i.e. on the Danube, remains with the same conditions. Border control. We presented the identity card to the policemen on the Romanian side, and on the other side we will present it again and pay the river crossing fee. We are in Zimnicea and cross the Bulgarian side to Svishtov in just 10 minutes. Because there was not much traffic today, the procedures went quickly. The challenge remains, however, the land border. The border between Romania and Bulgaria, the internal border of the European Union, is one of the busiest, especially in the summer season.

When Romanians go on vacation by car, to their neighbors south of the Danube, or further afield, to Greece or even Turkey. However, it remains a challenge for carriers who spend days in a row in order to pass the checks. Politicians promise that by the end of the year they will convince Austria to agree to Romania having full rights in Schengen.