European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson called for the abolition of land border controls for Bulgaria and Romania within the Schengen area by the end of the year.

"Bulgaria and Romania have made every effort and have gone above and beyond on their path to Schengen. My message to minsters on Thursday at the Justice and Home Affairs Council will be: take the last step - lift the border controls, including at land borders, before this year is out. They deserve it. The time is right", Ylva Johansson said on the first day of the new plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg. The discussions in the European Parliament were triggered by Germany's decision to reinstate checks at its land borders.