Schengen Countries
The Schengen countries are those European countries that signed the Schengen Agreement, which was signed in 1985 in Luxembourg in a town called Schengen. These countries function as a single entity without border restrictions when traveling within them, but they share the same international border control rules.
On the other hand, the European Union countries are those European countries that are part of the European Union and have signed the EU treaties. EU countries are required to maintain their own national military and foreign policies but are bound by the EU’s judicial and legislative institutions.
Schengen Countries
Currently, there are 26 countries within the Schengen Area. Among these 26, only 4 are not members of the European Union. These four countries are Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. Norway and Iceland are members of the Nordic Passport Union. Several microstates are also included in the Schengen Area. These small entities maintain semi-open or open borders with other Schengen countries.
Two of the Schengen countries, the United Kingdom and Ireland, are both members of the European Union, but they still maintain border controls with other EU countries. They are also referred to as opt-out countries.
Three actual European microstates are also included in the Schengen Area: Monaco, Vatican City, and San Marino.
To implement the Schengen rules, a country or state needs to evaluate four areas:
– Air borders.
– Police cooperation.
– Protection of personal data.
– Visas.
In 1999, the EU law incorporated the Schengen rules under the Amsterdam Treaty. All EU member states complied with the Schengen rules, except Bulgaria, Romania, and Cyprus. The Schengen Area currently includes 400 million people.
European Union Countries
Currently, there are 27 member states in the European Union. It began in 1957 with 6 founding countries: Belgium, France, West Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands, previously known as the “European Economic Community” before the European Union.
In 1993, the Maastricht Treaty established the current European Union.
In 2009, the Lisbon Treaty made the latest amendment to the constitutional basis of the European Union.
For any country to join the European Union, it must meet the political and economic conditions known as the “Copenhagen Criteria.” According to the Copenhagen Criteria, a country must have a democratic government and free-market policies. All EU countries have equal rights, despite differences in wealth, political systems, and country sizes. The European Union currently has a population of over 500 million people.
Summary:
Schengen countries are those European countries that signed the Schengen Agreement in 1985 in Schengen, Luxembourg; European Union countries are those European countries that are part of the European Union, which signed the Maastricht Treaty in 1993.
The Schengen countries function as a single entity with no border controls when traveling within them but share the same international border control rules. For any country to join the European Union, it must meet the political and economic conditions known as the Copenhagen Criteria.
