Croatia got the green light on Thursday, December 8, to join the Schengen area, but Bulgaria and Romania have been kept out because of opposition led by Austria over unauthorised immigration concerns in those countries.
After talks between the bloc's interior ministers in Brussels, Croatia was given the go-ahead to become the zone's 27th member, meaning that from next year there will be no border checks between Croatia and the rest of the Schengen area.
Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca said he was disappointed and would reapply to enter the zone. "We regret and honestly do not understand the inflexible position taken by Austria."
Bulgaria would also try again, its foreign minister said.
Reuters reported that Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner had opposed Romania and Bulgaria because of security concerns over illegal border crossings. The Netherlands also opposed granting access to Bulgaria because of concerns over corruption and migration.
