Schengen Zone

• Context (TH): Kosovo recently obtained visa-free access to the Schengen zone in Europe.

Kosovo

• It is a self-declared independent country in the Balkans region of Europe.
• It is a landlocked country also, it is the smallest country in the Balkans.
• Kosovo is a member of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank.
• Kosovo lacks legal statehood, according to the UN, and is denied recognition by Russia and China.

Schengen Zone

• The Schengen zone is named after the Luxembourg village, where the agreement was signed in 1985.
• It is an area encompassing countries that have officially abolished border controls at their mutual borders. It is the world’s largest free movement area.
• It mostly functions as a single jurisdiction under a common visa policy for international travel purposes.
• Of the 27 EU member states, 23 participate in the Schengen Area.
  • EU states not part of the Schengen Area: Cyprus, Romania, Bulgaria, and Ireland
  • Non-EU states part of the Schengen Area: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, and Norway.
• Croatia, an EU member since 2013, joined Schengen in 2023.
• Romania and Bulgaria, EU members since 2007, will have partial Schengen entry in March.
• Importance:
  • People from any country enjoy the advantage of travelling freely across multiple European nations using a single Schengen visa.
  • EU member states see visa-free borderless travel, coupled with the unified currency adopted by 20 EU countries, as a prominent symbol of European integration.