1. A history of the Schengen agreement

4. What is the Schengen agreement?
The story started in 1985 when five states of the EU decided to abolish internal border controls – the Schengen area was born. On a continent where nations spilled their blood in defending their state areas, borders today exist only on maps. Europeans make almost 1,25 billion journeys within Schengen each year.
A Europe without internal borders brings great benefits to the economy, which points to the fact that the Schengen achievement is tangible, popular and successful, and very important for our everyday life and our societies. Europe today is smaller, due to freedom of movement that unites us.

5. The Schengen area is the area without internal border controls
The Schengen area is the area without internal border controls. It means that 26 member countries do not perform internal border controls.
That is why the EU citizens and citizens of countries non-EU members, may freely travel within the Schengen area and have checks only at passing the outer border.
The states that are members of the Schengen area have common outer border for which, considering there are no internal border controls, they are jointly responsible for securing in order to maintain the security inside the Schengen area.

6. Citizens of certain states outside the EU need a Visa to enter the Schengen area. Schengen member states have common rules for Schengen Visas issued for a short-time stay and valid in the whole Schengen area. Based on that Visa a person may stay and travel throughout the Schengen states area for a maximum of 90 days within any period of 180 days.

7. Discussion What are the main benefits of the Schengen agreement for:
A) trade
B) economy
C) common people
Who benefits the most?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of the politics of open borders?