Memo: 26th anniversary of Schengen: statement of the European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Cecilia Malmström

On June 14, 26 years ago the dismantling of border controls started across the EU. The Schengen Agreement has made passport-free travel possible for over 400 million Europeans. From the initial five, the Schengen area includes in 2011 25 countries. We make over 1.25 billion journeys as tourists every year, and we can visit our friends and relatives all over Europe without bureaucratic obstacles at internal borders. Moreover, for our economy as well, free movement is central to the success of the Single Market