Bulgaria and Romania will finally be in the Schengen Area… partially. Air and Water controls will no longer be enforced yet land controls will not yet be abolished.
Politicians have drastically different visions for Bulgaria. While The current Prime Minister, Nikolai Denkov wants to integrate Bulgaria further into the EU and NATO, President Rumen Radev wants to move Bulgaria closer to Russia. Citizens themselves are also split on the matter which has resulted in pro-EU protests along with pro-Russia demonstrations.
Romania is debating how to prioritize exports from Romanian farmers over those from Ukrainian farmers at the Constanta Port. Some EU member states have been getting heated about the impact Ukrainian agricultural exports to the EU have had on their own farmers.
Freedom of the Press is at risk in the EU’s Periphery. In particular, journalists in Greece and Malta face potential backlash from their national governments and even death.
While gender transitioning is still legal, the Bulgarian Supreme Court has banned trans individuals from changing their gender on legal documents.
