The financial effect of our country's accession to Schengen by land will amount to BGN 1.63 billion (EUR 833.4 million) per year, according to a study by the Economic Research Institute at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.

The greatest benefit will be for heavy road transport and for producers and exporters of goods, estimated at 1.39 billion BGN (EUR 719 million). Another benefit of Bulgaria's accession to the Schengen Area by land will be the elimination of direct and potential losses for Bulgarian citizens when crossing the land border with Romania and Greece in the amount of 242,437 days. The fourth benefit will be related to the overall environmental effect of the extended waiting time for border control. "With the opening of the Schengen Area by land, carbon emissions will also significantly decrease", the study reads.

There will also be direct fiscal benefits from Bulgaria's accession to Schengen, estimated at around 138 million BGN (EUR 79.5 million).