European countries members of Schengen agreement on free movement of people may become many more a year from now. Most new EU members may qualify for membership thus making Europe the largest international free movement area. This decision has historic significance, eliminating one additional barrier before united Europe, with substantial economic and even more symbolic consequences.

Schengen agreement since mid-1980s requires member countries to abolish internal borders and to allow citizens of other member countries to freely enter and exit without showing passports or other identification documents. In fact Schengen eliminates internal borders as filters for free movement. This 'freedom' is in no way automatic after decades of more or less free movement of goods and capitals between EU members. Similar economic trans-border freedoms exist between other countries without necessitating elimination of border control and of internal borders in general, e.g. US-Canada frontier. Schengen is not synonymous to EU. Some 'old' EU countries are not part of Schengen agreement and still apply strict border control, e.g. Britain and Ireland. On the other hand, some non-EU countries are part of this agreement, such as Norway and Iceland.

Most new EU members that entered the union in 2004 may qualify for Schengen membership as early as January 2008 for air travels, and as early as March 2008 for land crossings. Only exception among new EU members so far remains Cyprus. To qualify for Schengen, European country needs proving that it can provide enough security for common external borders. Otherwise breach in borders in one place only may lead to elimination of any security protection for all Schengen countries. Particularly sensitive areas are located around southern and eastern Schengen borders due to waves of economic migrants 'storming the fortress' from Africa, Asia, and former USSR. Schengen agreement isn't irreversible. Any country member can impose temporarily or permanently border controls if she sees unprotected by other members. Such temporary reversals of course happen very rarely, for example during G-8 summits or big sportive and other events.

Significance of this move for new Schengen members cannot be overestimated. Economically this means elimination of another layer of bureaucracy making more difficult free movement of people. This bureaucracy makes nations pay not only because it employs expensive tools and staff. Even if border procedures are straightforward and client-friendly, time spent on borders cost billions. This calculation isn't overestimation. Hundreds of millions cross in both directions European borders each year, not including non-Europeans entering or exiting the continent. Spending only one hour waiting for usual border checking multiplied even by minimal hour wage produces 10-digit sums. In fact poorer EU members from east, located outside Schengen, still pay for high paychecks of western border officers. Spending only an hour on any land border is in fact not something people should even complain about, e.g. waiting one hour on well-organized US-Canadian border outside public holidays is something most people consider as a big luck.

Even more important however is symbolic side of Schengen enlargement to east. Many new EU members fear they are unfairly considered to be second category of members, being for now excluded from certain common European policies like Schengen or common currency Euro. There is no other way of showing these countries that they are wrong but by inviting them to join these remaining areas of common interest where the west still continues expressing unabated sensitivity and precaution. There is no certainty that all EU post-communist countries will join Schengen as early as 2008; even if some of them are invited however this will be a strong message to the others that this discrimination is only temporary and that fixing the problem depends mainly on most interested countries.

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