From midnight tonight, eight former Soviet bloc countries and the Mediterranean island of Malta become part of the Schengen - je 20.12.2007

From midnight tonight, travel within the European Union is set to become easier, as eight former Soviet bloc countries and the Mediterranean island of Malta become part of the Schengen zone. +++VB+rein+++ Passport controls will be dropped at rail and road crossings with Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, the Baltic States, Slovakia and Slovenia. Airport checks will be dropped in March 2008 +++VB+raus+++ Celebrations are set to accompany the important symbolic step 18 years after the Fall of the Iron Curtain. +++SYN-MAZ+++