Schengen accession: How Romania saves 53 million euros and reduces 95,000 tons of CO₂ every year

Romania’s accession to the Schengen Area with land borders represents, in addition to a historic decision, a landmark moment with a significant impact on the national economy and environmental protection.

“Romania’s accession to Schengen is not only a political milestone, but also a victory for sustainability and economic efficiency. By reducing unnecessary fuel consumption and emissions, we are making concrete progress towards a more efficient future for the transport industry,” said Razvan Nica, CEO of Carbon Tool.

Economic and environmental impact

Before accession, freight trucks experienced considerable delays at the borders, accumulating approximately 23.5 million hours of waiting annually, according to a study conducted by the National Union of Road Transporters in Romania (UNTRR).[1]

According to assessments by Carbon Tool, an advanced platform designed to calculate and reduce the carbon footprint, these delays have led to:

• The unnecessary consumption of 35 million liters of diesel – enough to power more than 700,000 cars for a month.
• Almost 95,000 tons of CO₂ emissions annually, an amount that would require more than 1.5 million trees to be absorbed.

The savings achieved, amounting to 53 million euros annually, are equivalent to the fuel needed for 100,000 round trips between Bucharest and Timisoara or to offsetting the emissions of a city the size of Cluj for a week.

Concrete benefits of Schengen accession

With the elimination of border controls, Romania benefits from significant advantages:

• Reduced operational costs – Savings for hauliers are equivalent to the annual fuel budget of a small town.
• Increased logistics efficiency – Shorter delivery times reduce pressure on supply chains and build the confidence of international trading partners.
• Direct contribution to sustainability – Reducing CO₂ emissions and minimizing resource consumption is an important step towards a greener logistics system.

[1] https://www.untrr.ro/ro/studii-si-analize-economice/studiu-traficul-la-frontierele-ro-cu-hu-si-bg-schengen.html