The EU celebrates the 26th anniversary of Schengen Agreement

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http://euroalert.net/en/news.aspx?idn=12791

The Schengen Agreement has made passport-free travel possible for over 400 million Europeans. Cecilia Malmström, European Commissioner for Home Affairs stated that the creation of the Schengen area is one of the most tangible, popular and successful achievements of the European Union. Moreover, for European economy as well, free movement is central to the success of the Single Market.

The Schengen area of free movement was born in three steps. First, in June 1985 five countries (Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands) signed the Schengen Agreement; five years later, the Schengen Convention set out how the abolition of border controls would be applied in practice.

Nowadays, the area comprises 22 EU (all but Bulgaria, Romania, Cyprus, Ireland and the UK) and three non-EU countries (Iceland, Norway, Switzerland). Three more are about to join the club (Bulgaria, Romania and Liechtenstein). Recently, the European Parliament has given its green light for the accession of Bulgaria and Romania.

The Commissioner stressed that free movement in the Schengen area is a right, not only for over 500 million European citizens, but also for all third country nationals, businessmen and tourists legally present in the Schengen area.

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1. "Free Movement of Persons" across borders - how quaint the Europeans are . . .

Haven't they heard of Osama Bin Laden?

Dead you say? Well, he's still making the laws on this side of the Atlantic. So, there! And, get back to the job of bombing Libya. Next thing you know they'll be voting to abandon nuclear power . . . snail-eating surrender monkeys.