Schengen accession for Bulgaria, Romania

About Schengen Area

• It is a free travel area in Europe made up of 29 countries.
• History: It was established in 1985 by 5 EU countries: France, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg. The name comes from the small Luxembourg village where the Schengen Agreement was signed.
• Presently out of the 27 EU member states, 25 participate in the Schengen Area. (After addition of Bulgaria & Romania).
  • EU states not part of the Schengen Area: Cyprus and Ireland
  • Non-EU states part of the Schengen Area: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Norway.

Features of Schengen Area

• No internal borders: Countries in the Schengen Area don’t perform checks at their internal borders, except in cases of specific threats.
• Common visa policy: The Schengen Area has a common visa policy and rules for controls at external borders.
• EU citizens and non-EU residents can travel freely: Citizens and many non-EU nationals staying legally in the EU can travel freely within the Schengen Area

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