Officials from Bulgaria and Romania plan to discuss the situation of the border crossing between the two countries, according to a report by the Independent Balkan News Agency citing Bulgarian caretaker Prime Minister Ognyan Gerdzhikov, who addressed the press during his March 11 visit to the Danube Bridge border crossing in Giurgiu-Rose, when he also told the press that the eastern side of the bridge that is currently not in use will open by the end of 2017.
The opening of the new section of the bridge will decongest traffic over the border. This is an “internal border” within the European Union with passport control. This can only be completely removed when both Bulgaria and Romania join the Schengen Agreement. The two countries, together with Croatia and Cyprus, are currently prospective members of the Schengen Area, waiting for a decision for inclusion by the Council of Ministers at their next meeting. Both Bulgaria and Romania are already EU member states.
Besides the border at Giurgiu-Ruse, the two countries share several other border crossings. Bulgaria and Romania share a border that stretches over 609 km, with more than 400 km formed by the river Danube. Along this border there are 14 crossing points – seven by boat, five by road and 2 by rail.
The border is not homogeneous and lacks a cross-border regional identity. For additional details visit this page. An upcoming agreement between the two will ease travel over the borders, but further talks and agreements regarding border crossing between Romania and Bulgaria will be held in April, after Bulgaria’s March 26, 2017, parliamentary elections. Gerdzhikov also mentioned Bulgaria’s system of road tax stickers, which are not as modern as electronic vignettes currently in use in Romania.
