The full accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the Schengen area is strengthening the European Union's economy significantly. This is stated in a report by the European Commission on the state of the border-free zone, presented today. 

The report highlights that since the beginning of this year, the two countries have fully joined Schengen, following an 18-year-long process. Prior to the abolition of internal border controls, Bulgarian and Romanian businesses were paying billions of euro a year due to increased logistics costs, delivery delays, high fuel prices and truckers' wages, BTA reported.

The document also notes that over the past year, several measures have been taken to strengthen Schengen, particularly in the area of securing external borders. It cites examples of joint efforts between Bulgaria, Austria, Greece, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia, as well as measures taken on the Bulgarian-Turkish border to prevent potential threats to the EU.