More of Europe opens up

gzlaser

ON December 21, nine more European Union (EU) member states implemented the Schengen Agreement. It is the biggest ever enlargement of the passport-free Schengen zone.

The nine states are Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovenia, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. They all joined the EU on May 1, 2004. The implementation means Chinese people will only need one single Schengen Visa to visit most parts of the EU.

For now, Chinese visitors still have to transfer to different airlines to visit Eastern Europe. However, it's expected that direct flights will begin soon.

Most of these nine states are in Eastern Europe. Each has its own unique attraction: the Czech Republic's Prague Square, Hungarian capital Budapest where the film Gloomy Sunday was shot, and Slovakia's 180 old castles. Some may also want to visit Auschwitz Concentration Camp in Poland. In the near future, Chinese visitors will be able to embrace all these destinations in one go, with a single visa.

Convenient agreement

WITHIN the Schengen area, there are no border posts and checks. An ordinary Schengen Visa allows tourists or visitors access to the area. The agreement was originally signed on June 14, 1985 by Belgium, France, West Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. However, it was not until March 26, 1995 that the agreement was put into practice. So far, all 27 EU states (except Britain and Ireland) and three non-EU members (Iceland, Norway and Switzerland) have signed the agreement.