The European Commission declared Romania ready to join the Schengen area in 2011, but faced opposition from several countries. Austria, the last holdout, lifted its veto during a meeting in Budapest last month.
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00:00Romania's long-awaited accession to the border-free Schengen area is expected to boost the integration
00:08process between Romania and Hungary.
00:11The removal of the border checks on the 1st of January will make it easier for commuters
00:15to travel between the two countries.
00:17It was important for the people of Bihar that many people moved here.
00:24Hungarian real estate is often significantly cheaper than in Romania.
00:43A vendor in the Romanian city of Oradea said Hungarian real estate will become even more
00:48appealing with travel expected to become easier and faster.
00:53Many have been waiting a long time for Romania to join the Schengen area.
01:21Well, I think it's been long overdue, honestly.
01:27I think it's finally time that we enter Schengen.
01:30I think it opens a lot of possibilities, especially economical ones.
01:35And I don't know, I'm really looking forward to it, especially because for me personally
01:40it will be nice to not wait at the border for so long.
01:46Unlike Romanians, Hungarians do not cross the border for real estate.
01:50Instead, they go to Romania to go shopping or for cheaper petrol.
02:13The European Commission had already declared Romania ready to join the Schengen area in
02:182011, but Austria had been an ardent opponent.
02:22However, last month they finally lifted their long-held veto during a meeting in Budapest.