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SUBJECT 10

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27th Anniversary of Schengen Agreement by John Connolly on Prezi. The European Union celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Schengen Area. Brussels, 11 June 2010 The European Union celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Schengen Area On June 14 the European Union celebrates the 25 anniversary of the Schengen Agreement providing for a gradual abolishment of controls at the common borders.

The European Union celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Schengen Area

The Schengen agreement was signed on the 14 June 1985 by Belgium, Germany, France, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. The agreement, and the subsequent convention adopted in 1990 to implement it agreed to abolish systematic border controls between the countries, allowing free movement of persons. With the entry into force of the Amsterdam Treaty in 1999, the Schengen cooperation was integrated into the EU legal and institutional framework. The free movement is guaranteed on a territory with 42,673 km of external sea and 7,721 km of land borders, covering 25 countries and 400 million citizens. Q&A: Schengen Agreement. 4 March 2013Last updated at 06:24 ET Non-EU nationals can travel to much of Europe with a Schengen visa The Schengen Agreement abolished internal borders, enabling passport-free movement between a large number of European countries.

Q&A: Schengen Agreement

Schengen is now under review because in 2011 there were surges in illegal migration from Africa and Asia, via Italy and Greece in particular. The BBC News website explains what the Schengen Agreement consists of and how it came about. Which countries have removed internal borders? There are 26 countries in Schengen. The Schengen area and cooperation. During the 1980s, a debate began over the meaning of free movement of persons.

The Schengen area and cooperation

Some Member States felt the concept should apply to European Union (EU) citizens only, which would involve keeping internal border checks in order to distinguish between citizens of the EU and non-EU nationals. Others argued in favour of free movement for everyone, which would mean an end to internal border checks altogether.

Since Member States could not reach agreement, France, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands decided in 1985 to create a territory without internal borders. This became known as the "Schengen area", after the town in Luxembourg where the first agreements were signed. Following the signing of the Treaty of Amsterdam, this intergovernmental cooperation was incorporated into the EU framework on 1 May 1999. Schengen Area. The Schengen Area is the area comprising 26 European countries that have abolished passport or any other type of border control in-between their common borders, also referred to as internal borders.

Schengen Area

It functions as a single country for international travel purposes, with a common visa policy. The Area is named after the Schengen Agreement. Countries in the Schengen Area have eliminated internal border controls with the other Schengen members, and strengthened external border controls with non-Schengen states. The Schengen area encourages the free movement of goods, information, money and people. Twenty-two of the twenty-eight European Union (EU) member states and all four European Free Trade Association (EFTA) member states participate in the Schengen Area. History[edit] As more EU member states signed up to join the Schengen Area, agreement was reached on absorbing it into the EU. Membership[edit] EU member states outside Schengen Prospective members[edit] European Parliament. Global Voices · Europe in Crisis. ‘Sad Euro walrus’ emoticon Table of Contents This special coverage aims to give a voice to ordinary people living with the social, political and financial consequences of Europe's financial bailouts.

Global Voices · Europe in Crisis

We look to Greece, Ireland, Portugal, and other European countries affected by the banking crisis and Euro crisis. The democratic deficit is growing in countries making bailout agreements, and citizens are voicing their pent-up frustrations with protests and new people's movements. Protests and so-called “revolutions” across Europe in 2011 are evidence of widespread discontent with the handling of economic crisis. But this series will not just be about protest – we hope to capture the breadth of reflection and debate provoked by the European bailouts, featuring new ideas and alternative responses. This special coverage has its own Twitter account – for updates, please follow @GVEuropeCrisis.

For a summary of 2011 citizen media coverage of the crisis, see here. Global Voices Books: EU in Crisis.