THE BIRTH OF THE SCHENGEN AREA

Since the formation of the European Economic Community following WWII, the free movement of persons was a core part of the European project. From the beginning, citizens of EEC member states could travel visa-free from one-member state to another with only a passport or national ID card.

Nevertheless, it was still a headache to travel around Europe.

Nationals of EEC member states were still subjected to systematic identity controls at a vast network of patrolled borders. And it was even worse for tourists. Many folks who wished to travel to Europe would have to obtain travel visas for every country they planned to visit. I can just imagine the piles of paperwork (and anxiety feeling that comes with it, for me at least), visa fees and other expenses kept a lot of people from even thinking of traveling to Europe.

On June 14, 1985, the breakthrough came when five of the ten members of the EU at the time decided to make an agreement of their own in order to bypass the UK, which was vehemently against opening up its borders. Leaders of Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands met on a boat near Schengen, Luxembourg (where the territories of France, Germany, and Luxembourg meet) and signed the Schengen Agreement, while eating cheese and waffles and drinking Bordeaux wine. Or, at least, that is how I picture it.

At the time of creation, only seven EU countries were involved in the intergovernmental initiative. With time, however, more and more EU member states signed the Schengen Agreement. Eventually, a consensus was reached and the policies of the Schengen Area were incorporated into the procedures of the European Union. The agreement is no longer considered an external treaty and all amendments are now made according to the legislative procedures for EU treaties.

All participating states are required to remove any obstacles impeding the free movement of people and goods at internal borders. Since implementation, border posts have been closed, border traffic has been eliminated, and even though air carriers are still allowed to perform security controls, for all intents and purposes, Europe is now a single zone that can be traveled end to end without restriction, a fact I can personally attest to.

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