EU agrees to ease travel for Bulgaria and Romania from March

Bulgaria and Romania came closer to joining passport-free movement in the European Union after the bloc agreed to ease maritime and air travel for the two countries. Member states approved a deal Saturday allowing the two Balkan countries to apply the rules of the so-called Schengen system for entering ports and airports from end-March after Austria, the last holdout against the expansion of the border-free area, partly lifted its veto. Bulgaria and Romania, which joined the bloc in 2007, have faced opposition from some member states over their apparent inability to tackle corruption and organized crime and to secure borders. Both countries for years ranked among the worst in the EU in terms of corruption, but have made some improvements recently. The two states have expressed hope that easing travel via land borders could follow, although Austria has been reluctant to agree for now, fearing an influx of migrants. Vienna wants to strengthen land borders with additional EU funding and demands that Sofia and Bucharest host migrants from Syria and Afghanistan. Lifting land controls would ease commercial traffic through Bulgaria and Romania, where trucks en route from Greece and Turkey would often spend days waiting to cross the Danube river.<br/>