Meaning of schengen

Answer 1

The Schengen Agreement is an EU treaty which has abolished border controls between its member countries.

The agreement currently (2012) has 26 members, 22 out of the 27 members of the EU (the exceptions are Bulgaria, Cyprus, Ireland, Romania and the UK); plus 4 non-EU members (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland).

De facto includes three European micro-states-Monaco, San Marino, and the Vatican.

Bulgaria and Romania are due to join Schengen in 2013.

In essence it has eliminated all border controls within the Schengen Area. The EU is a customs union and has abolished customs between members. If you are travelling between two countries which are in both the EU and Schengen, there are no border checks at all, just a sign by the side of the road.

If you are travelling between two EU countries and only one is in Schengen (e.g. UK to France) there are passport checks but no customs.

If you are travelling between two Schengen countries where one is not in the EU (e.g. Sweden to Norway), there are customs checks but no passport checks.

The Schengen Agreement is named after the village of Schengen in Luxembourg, on the border with both France and Germany. This is where the original agreement was signed.

Answer 2

The Schengen Area is a group of 26 European countries that have abolished passport and border controls at their mutual borders. It allows for the free movement of people between member countries. It is named after the town of Schengen in Luxembourg where the agreement was signed.