We just read about the Schengen Agreement of 1985. The treaty, initially signed by Belgium, France, West Germany, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands, aimed to foster relationships between the European countries. The signatories expressed their consent to achieve the goal by reducing internal border controls that would allow unrestricted flow of people between the countries. This led to the formation of the Schengen Area.
By the time the agreement came into force in 1995, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Greece had joined the original five members. Austria, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden were to join soon after.
As more EU member states signed the Schengen Agreement, it was unanimously decided to incorporate the agreement and its related conventions into the European Union law by the Amsterdam Treaty, 1999.
In 2007 the Schengen area expanded to include the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia. It was further enlarged by the addition of Switzerland in 2008 and Liechtenstein in 2011.
Picture Credit : Google
