On October 18, 2022, there was an overwhelming vote in the European Parliament for the Romania and Bulgaria accession to Schengen: 547 in favor out of 639 in total.
Immediate benefits for carriers
According to a statement issued by the National Union of Road Transporters from Romania – UNTRR, “entering Schengen is a necessity for the road transport industry of goods and people, contributing to the fluidization of border traffic” and facilitating the travel of Romanian and Bulgarian passengers in the European space without borders.
UNTRR calls on the Romanian authorities to “treat Romania’s entry into Schengen as a priority, considering that this is a necessity both for road carriers and Romanian drivers, as well as and for their passengers and customers.”
Thus, the immediate benefits for carriers are:
- Elimination of long waiting times at internal EU borders by road and thus reducing costs and delays in supply chains
- Will contribute towards eliminating abuses and unjustified waiting times at passport control for coaches, offering Romanian and foreign tourists a civilized treatment
- This will help avoid drivers exceeding their driving times. “We remind you that driving and rest times are strictly regulated in the European Union, and exceeding these driving times by Romanian drivers, due to waiting times in the queue at the border crossing, is sanctioned by the European control authorities.”
- Will alleviate the labour crisis of professional drivers by hiring drivers from third EU countries and using these drivers in international races, similar to companies in Schengen countries. “At the moment employed drivers from third countries cannot work in the EU for more than 90 days in a 180 day period”
