SCHENGEN AGREEMENT

an agreement signed in 1985 in the Luxembourg town of Schengen by seven EU countries (Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Germany, Portugal and Spain) which came into force in 1995. It removed border controls for people travelling between these countries which made travel easier. More European countries have joined since and in 2003 15 countries, known as the Schengen area , were part of the agreement, with more new EU countries expected to join in the future. The UK and Ireland have chosen to stay outside the Schengen area.