Romania's protracted accession to the passport-free Schengen area risks delaying economic benefits and fueling nationalist sentiments in the country. The Romanian government is in the middle of a diplomatic push to convince the European Union to accept it into the Schengen agreement , which removes border controls among its 27 members. On March 9, Romanian Interior Minister Lucian Bode reportedly told his counterparts from other EU member states that Bucharest plans to enter Schengen in 2023 and that his government will continue making efforts to address areas like curbing irregular migration and protecting the country's external borders to qualify for membership. As a member of the European Union, Romania is expected to eventually join Schengen. While in recent years Bucharest has complied with many of the requirements to join the agreement, some EU governments are skeptical about Romania's preparedness to enter the passport-free area.