The Schengen Agreement was signed by various European countries in 1985 eliminating international border control among the signatory countries. That being said, border control still exists among third countries which have not signed the agreement.
This led to the creation of the Schengen Area in 1995, in turn creating a common European area. The Schengen area represents a territory of free movement of EU members and residents who have legally entered or who legally reside in the area.
The Schengen area represents 26 European countries. Some of these countries are: Germany, Slovenia, Hungary, Spain, Austria, Denmark, Slovakia, Belgium, France, Greece and Italy. Other countries, like the United Kingdom and Ireland, have opted out of this agreement in order to preserve their own free movement agreement. However, they still collaborate on other levels with the member states.
This agreement does not only involve free movement of people within the common area. It also establishes certain international cooperation and coordination measures between police services and judicial authorities in order to protect and maintain international security amoung its members.
Translated by: Katherine Pascal
