Romania and Bulgaria will become full members of the Schengen Area that allows free movement of 420 million people between 29 mostly European Union countries without border checks from Jan. 1, the EU said Thursday.

EU and NATO alliance members Romania and Bulgaria partly joined Schengen in March after an agreement with Austria.

Romania and Bulgaria have officially become full members of the Schengen Area, Azernews reports. "We welcome the decision of the European Council, which gives the green light for Romania and Bulgaria to fully join the Schengen family," the publication states.