Dec. 21 the Schengen Treaty was expanded to include nine of the 10 countries in Eastern Europe that joined the EU in 2004. "Borderless" Europe now encompasses 400 million people.
by Paul Kieffer
At the stroke of midnight nine Eastern European countries joined the European Union's Schengen Treaty, which allows Europeans to travel from one Schengen country to another without border formalities. The EU "Schengen zone" now extends from the border of Russia and the Ukraine all the way to the Atlantic Ocean.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel described the opening of Germany's borders with Poland and the Czech Republic as a historic occasion. She and the Polish and Czech prime ministers attended a special ceremony as the border was opened at the "three country corner" where the Czech Republic, Germany and Poland intersect.
Thousands of Europeans were up early to enjoy their new freedom to visit a neighboring EU country without lengthy delays at the border because of passport formalities.
Eastward march
The Schengen zone now encompasses 24 of the EU's 27 members, representing 400 million people. The extension of the Schengen zone eastward is another milestone in the slow but sure march to European unity and a further confirmation of the unification of Europe following the end of the Cold War.
Each Schengen country has the responsibility to provide border controls for its non-Schengen external borders. In exchange for fulfilling this obligation, there are no border or immigration controls on the movement of people within the Schengen zone when they travel from one Schengen country directly to another.
Some Germans have expressed concern that opening Germany's eastern border to its EU neighbors will lead to an increase in crime. German interior minister Wolfgang Schäuble disagrees. The Schengen Treaty allows each country's border police to undertake on-the-spot passport examinations in an 18-mile zone along the border. According to Schäuble, the allowance will more than compensate for formalities at the border crossings themselves.
