Schengener Übereinkommen

Schengen Agreement, concluded at Schengen, Luxembourg, on June 14, 1985 (Schengen I) between France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Gemany with the object of abolishing checks of persons moving across internal borders. The necessary compensatory measures were laid down in the Agreement of June 19, 1990 (Schengen II), which covers, inter alia, checks at the common external borders of the Schengen countries, police cooperation, the introduction of a common visa system and the processing of applications for asylum. Italy (1990), Spain and Portugal (1991), Greece (1992), Austria (1995) and Denmark, Finland and Sweden (1996) acceded to the Agreement. From the entry into force on March 26, 1995, freedom of movement was assured between the following countries which had complied with the required criteria: Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Spain and Portugal; the Agreement entered into force in respect of Italy on October 26, 1997, for Austria on December 1, 1997 (end of internal border controls on April 1, 1998). In Greece the Agreement was put into force on December 8, 1998, and internal border checks were abolished in 2000. The Schengen Agreement forms an integral part of the Treaty of Amsterdam and thus of the acquis of the European Union.