What is the relationship between the Schengen Area and the European Union?
In short, they are two different entities, although many countries are included in both. The EU is a political and economic union, whereas the Schengen Area allows for the free movement of people between the participating countries.
Why countries in Europe cooperate and work together?
European Territorial Cooperation It has clear European added value: helping to ensure that borders are not barriers, bringing Europeans closer together, helping to solve common problems, facilitating the sharing of ideas and assets, and encouraging strategic work towards common goals.
What did the Schengen Agreement of 1985 accomplish?
The Schengen Agreement signed on June 14, 1985, is a treaty that led most of the European countries towards the abolishment of their national borders, to build a Europe without borders known as the “Schengen Area”.
Why was Schengen Area created?
The basic idea was to allow the free movement of citizens between those member states and allow them to live and work in any member state under certain conditions, establishing a de facto equality between citizens from all five member states.
Why is cooperation among countries necessary?
No country can tackle the world’s challenges alone: wars and conflicts, climate change, poverty, lack of equality, lack of respect for human rights, nuclear weapons proliferation – unfortunately the list is long.
Who is in the Schengen Area?
These countries are: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
How does Schengen Area work?
The Schengen zone includes the 26 countries that have signed the Schengen agreement, which allows citizens of member countries to travel within the zone freely, without passing through passport and border control. Each member country of the Schengen zone can issue Schengen visas.
Why would a country want to join the Schengen Zone?
Under the Schengen Agreement, people can move freely across the EU’s national borders without the need for separate visas or passport checks. While being part of the zone could help boost tourism, an increase in levels of immigration to the EU during the 1990s has left the open border concept controversial.