Schengen accord unites EU

Summary:

The decision by interior ministers last week (4-5 December) to admit nine of the new member states into the borderless Schengen area starting January 2008 was seen as a historic step for the EU. In just over a year, land and sea border controls are to come down while air borders will follow in March 2008.

For the leaders of the new member states this means more than just speeding up entry into other parts of Europe; it is about trust and establishing equality among all the EU states. "This means that Europe will stop being divided into two parts, into the countries and citizens of the first and second categories," said Czech Interior Minister Ivan Langer following the agreement last week.