Specific content of Schengen agreement

In March 1995, Germany, France, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg formally implemented the Schengen Agreement, which came into full force in July 1995.

Since the signing of the Convention, more and more new countries have joined in. By 23, the number of Schengen member countries has increased to 15: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Greece, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Sweden. These countries are today's Schengen area.

There are two main contents in the draft: First, introduce the decision-making mechanism of the European Union and implement the effective majority voting system. That is, if a country needs to carry out border inspection on predictable events, such as international sports competitions and major cultural and political activities, it can apply in advance. The application must be approved by the European Commission and approved by a valid majority of experts from member States. But emergencies can be an exception. For example, after an unexpected event such as a terrorist attack or a nuclear accident occurs in a Schengen member country, in view of the unpredictability of the event, the member country can urgently start unilateral border inspection, but the period shall not exceed 5 days. If an extension is needed, it must be approved by the European Commission, voted by the expert group of the EU member states, and approved by an effective majority before the border inspection can be extended. Second, the European Commission and expert groups of member States will conduct routine or surprise inspections on the implementation of the Schengen Agreement by member States, instead of mutual evaluation and testing among member States. According to the inspection results, the European Commission publishes the "Schengen Health Inspection" report every six months for discussion by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union.

The European Commission emphasizes that this revision has a reason, and it is also to adapt to the new situation and meet future challenges. The Schengen Agreement was originally signed by only five countries. After it is increased to 25 countries, it naturally needs to be adjusted to better adapt to the actual situation. In the future, with the increase of Schengen countries, it is possible to make adjustments according to the situation. However, in any case, the purpose is to strengthen the Schengen area, ensure the free movement of citizens in the Schengen area and the freedom of travel of citizens of third countries in the Schengen area.

According to EU legislative procedures, the draft must be approved by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union before it can take effect. However, the draft was strongly opposed by countries such as France, Germany and Spain, which insisted that member States have the sovereign right to conduct internal border inspection if necessary. Because these countries are facing different "immigration problems". In Germany, after the end of World War II, West Germany recruited a large number of Turkish laborers, many of whom settled down and brought friends and relatives. Most French immigrants come from North African countries. The situation in Italy and Spain is similar to that in France. If countries can control their borders, they can control the inflow of these immigrants in a targeted manner.

Some analysts believe that the Schengen Agreement has greatly promoted the flow of goods and people in the EU since its implementation, which is very popular. Some member States are trying to "reverse the history" for their own interests, and it is difficult to get the support of most countries.