Romania and Bulgaria will become full members of the borderless Schengen area on Jan. 1. The member states agreed to this on Thursday, as announced by the Hungarian EU Council Presidency. This became possible after Austria gave up its veto on Monday. „This step will not only benefit the people of Bulgaria and Romania, but the EU as a whole,“ explained Hungary’s Interior Minister Sandor Pinter. The Schengen area now includes 29 countries.