Schengen: Border Controls with Austria are Gradually Abolished

On April 28, 1995, Austria signed the Agreement regarding the Schengen area, which it officially joined as a member on December 1, 1997, proceeding with the gradual abolition of border controls. Since 1985, the Schengen area has allowed individuals and businesses to travel and operate without border checks. It began in June 1985 with 5 countries (Belgium, Germany, France, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands). Today it includes 25 EU countries (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Denmark, Greece, Estonia, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Czech Republic, Finland), and 4 non-EU countries (Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Iceland, Norway). The Schengen countries have also enhanced security at their common external borders.