About 420 million people in Europe enjoy the benefits of the Schengen area. Do you know when it was created and where its name comes from? And which countries are part of it? And what are the benefits of Schengen?
The Schengen area is one of the most significant European projects. It brings significant economic benefits to the countries participating in it. It was conceived as the foundation of the European Union and the single market as a whole. It was created in 1985 - initially as an intergovernmental project between five EU countries. These are France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. Gradually, more and more countries joined Schengen, and today it is the largest free travel area in the world.
What does Schengen mean and where does the name come from?
Schengen is the name of a small village in Luxembourg - on the border with Germany and France. The Schengen Agreement was signed there in 1985, and the Schengen Convention in 1990.
The countries that are part of Schengen do not carry out checks at their own internal borders, except in the case of a specific threat. All countries in the agreement carry out harmonised controls at their external borders based on clearly defined criteria.
Which countries are part of the Schengen area?
Today, the Schengen area covers over 4 million square kilometers with a population of almost 420 million people and includes 29 countries. These are the Schengen area includes 29 countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Denmark, Estonia, Iceland, Spain, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, Finland, France, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Sweden and Switzerland. 25 of them are EU members. The remaining four are members of the European Free Trade Association (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland) and are also part of Schengen.
Bulgaria and Romania partially joined the Schengen area on March 31, 2024 - then checks at internal air and sea borders with both countries were abolished. And on January 1, 2025, checks at land borders were also abolished. From that day on, Bulgaria and Romania are full Schengen members.
Internal border controls with Cyprus have not yet been lifted, and Ireland is not part of the Schengen area.
What are the benefits of the Schengen area?
The Schengen area allows nearly 420 million people to travel freely between the individual member states without going through border controls.
Every day, around 3.5 million people cross internal borders to work or study or to visit their families and friends. Around 1.7 million have a permanent address in one Schengen country but work in another. Europeans make around 1.25 billion trips within the Schengen area every year, which is also of great benefit to the tourism and cultural sectors.
How has the Schengen area improved security in the EU?
One of the main objectives of the Schengen area is to protect its citizens through enhanced cooperation between the police, customs and external border control authorities of all Member States. These forms of cooperation were introduced to compensate for the risks of security gaps resulting from the abolition of internal border controls. The Schengen area allows for better communication systems between police forces, hot pursuit of criminals, cross-border surveillance of suspects, operational mutual assistance, direct exchange of information between police services. This is a huge advantage in the fight against terrorism and against serious and organised crime, including human trafficking and illegal migration.
Is it possible to reintroduce border controls?
In the period between 2020 and 2022, several EU countries decided to reintroduce internal border controls in connection with COVID-19. Border controls have also been reintroduced in other circumstances, including in 2015 following terrorist attacks or increased migration flows to the EU.
Reintroducing border controls at internal borders should only be a last resort. The Schengen Borders Code allows Member States to reintroduce border controls at certain internal borders in the event of exceptional circumstances that put the overall functioning of the Schengen area at risk. Checks introduced in the event of exceptional circumstances require the approval of the Council. The Schengen Borders Code also provides that Member States may introduce temporary border controls in response to a serious threat to public policy or internal security.
How are Schengen's external borders protected?
The EU and its Member States have put in place specific measures to safeguard Europe's security and strengthen the EU's external borders. These include, for example, the creation of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) and the development of the Schengen Information System (SIS). Authorities across the EU use SIS to enter or check alerts on wanted or missing persons and objects. SIS also provides guidance to authorities on how to react when a person or object is found.