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Schengen area

Topic

The area comprises 26 European countries which abolished controls at internal borders implemented in 1995. It resembles a single state for international travel purposes with external border controls and common visas.

Skip next section Reports & Analysis

Reports & Analysis

Shiny new euros and cents on a table

EU member Croatia joins the eurozone

EU member Croatia joins the eurozone

2023 rings in change for Croatia, with the country becoming the latest to join the eurozone and the Schengen area.
PoliticsJanuary 1, 2023
Euro coins in a plastic bag can be seen in the Croatian National Bank

Croatia adopts euro and borderless EU travel

Croatia adopts euro and borderless EU travel

Croatia's tourism sector believes adopting the euro will be a blessing. Others think it is going to be a curse.
BusinessDecember 30, 202203:02 min
Queues of cars at the border between Croatia and Slovenia

Schengen zone: Croatia gleeful, Bulgaria, Romania dismayed

Schengen zone: Croatia gleeful, Bulgaria, Romania dismayed

The EU has agreed to Croatia joining the Schengen zone, but Bulgarian and Romanian bids are blocked.
PoliticsDecember 10, 2022
Austrian policemen check passports at the Slovakian border to Austria in Kittsee, Austria

Illegal migration puts Slovakia into Schengen isolation

Illegal migration puts Slovakia into Schengen isolation

Relations between Slovakia and the Czech Republic have been strained by the reintroduction of border checks.
PoliticsNovember 18, 2022
Masked border police officer leans into the window of a car where a masked woman sits

Schengen states extend border checks, ignoring EU court

Schengen states extend border checks, ignoring EU court

The top EU court found that Germany, Denmark and other Schengen states have no legal basis for extending border checks.
PoliticsNovember 17, 2022
Russian tourists have their passport checked at the Nuijamaa border crossing, Finland

EU split on visa ban for Russians

EU split on visa ban for Russians

It’s unlikely that the EU's foreign ministers will issue a complete travel ban, but other restrictions are possible.
PoliticsAugust 29, 2022
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