
Romania And Bulgaria Join Schengen Area And Mali, Burkina Faso And Niger Pull Out Of Ecowas: Matters Arising – By Dr. Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke
Romania and Bulgaria join Schengen area and Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger pull out of ECOWAS: Matters Arising Romania and Bulgaria's accession to the Schengen area is a significant development in European politics. As of January 2025, these two countries have officially joined the Schengen zone, allowing for passport-free travel between member states.¹ This move is expected to boost travel, trade, and tourism, strengthening the internal market. The Schengen area, which comprises 29 European countries, guarantees free movement to close to 450 million EU citizens, along with non-EU nationals living in the EU or visiting the EU. With Romania and…