Romania and Bulgaria have become full members of the European Union’s border-free Schengen area after scrapping land border controls in the bloc.

The expansion was officially introduced at midnight on Wednesday and was marked by celebrations at some of the countries’ border posts, CNN reported.

“Welcome to Schengen, Bulgaria and Romania!” the European Parliament wrote in a post on X Wednesday.

“As of today, there will be no more checks when travelling across land borders between Bulgaria or Romania and any Schengen member country,”the EP added.

At the stroke of midnight, the Bulgarian and Romanian interior ministers symbolically raised a barrier of the Danube Bridge, Reuters reported. That crossing, also known as the Friendship Bridge, connects the two countries and is a key transit point for international trade. Fireworks were also set off close to the Bulgarian border town of Ruse, where the bridge enters the country, CNN said.