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The Schengen Agreement Explained

The Schengen Agreement Explained

The Schengen Agreement is the treaty which created the Schengen Area in Europe. The Schengen Area is an area in Europe which includes the territory of 25 different nations. The Schengen Agreement specifically made the Schengen Area a region in which citizens could easily travel between member states. 
The Schengen Agreement thus eliminates the need for border controls for travel between the borders of the member states of the Schengen Area. The separate states still remain independent governmentally and functionally, but in terms of travel, the Schengen Agreement united the area effectively into a single entity wherein travel is easy, akin to how travel is easy between the different states of the United States of America.
The Schengen Agreement was originally signed in the town of Schengen in Luxembourg, which is how the Schengen Agreement received its name. The Schengen Agreement has been expanded from the original signatories of Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, West Germany, and France. 
Now, the Schengen Agreement includes every member state of the European Union except for the United Kingdom and Ireland. Norway and Iceland also signed onto the Schengen Agreement, even though they are not part of the European Union.
Because it is now adopted as part of the legislature of the European Union, the Schengen Agreement is now treated as legislation instead of an international treaty, which means that it is amended according to the internal legislation systems of the European Union. The Schengen Agreement thus is primarily significant for the European Union states.

The Truth Behind the European Union Treaty

The Truth Behind the European Union Treaty

European Union Treaty Background
A European Union treaty, or EU treaty, is a treaty which affects the governance and operation of the EU. There have been a number of important EU treaties over the years, many of which have amended a prior EU treaty to better serve the overall organization. An EU treaty is sometimes differentiated from legislation passed within the EU, as the two are dealt with and amended through different procedures.  


Schengen Agreement
The Schengen Agreement is the treaty within Europe which established the Schengen Area. The Schengen Area is an area of nations in which travel is possible without difficulty thanks to the removal of border control boundaries. The Schengen Agreement has since been adopted into the European Union officially, even though not all signatories are members of the European Union. 

Treaty of Nice
The Treaty of Nice was a treaty established in order to expand on and amend the original treaties involved in the creation of the European Union in order to provide for the goal of westward expansion of the European Union. The Treaty of Nice is thus an important EU Treaty, particularly for some of the other changes it brought to the EU.

Lisbon Treaty
The Lisbon Treaty, like the Treaty of Nice, was another attempt to refine and improve the government of the European Union. The Treaty of Lisbon was signed in 2007 and came into effect in 2009. It was designed to establish new positions within the EU and to change the manner in which a majority was attained.  

Treaty of Rome
The Treaty of Rome is considered to be one of the two important constituent treaties of the European Union. The Treaty of Rome actually consisted of two treaties in its original form, including the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, or EEC treaty, and the Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community.

Discover Facts You Didn’t Know About the Lisbon Treaty

Discover Facts You Didn't Know About the Lisbon Treaty

The Lisbon Treaty was an
attempt to refine the European Union Government by amending the treaties at the
core of the European Union. The two treaties which the Treaty of Lisbon was
intended to amend include the Treaty on European Union and the Treaty
establishing the European Community. These are also known as the Treaty of
Maastricht and the Treaty of Rome, respectively.

The Treaty of Lisbon was signed
in December 2007 and was put into effect in December 2009. The Lisbon Treaty
amends the existing legislative body of the European Union such that
legislation passed by the European Parliament must be passed through a double
majority. 

A double majority means that the European Parliament must be in favor
of the legislation in a majority of two different criteria. The first criteria
refers to the overall population of the European Union, while the second
criteria refers to a majority of the nations within the European Union.

The Lisbon Treaty was also
significant for creating the position of a President of the European Council,
the position of a High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and
Security Policy, and the legal enforcement of the Charter of Fundamental
Rights, which is the Bill of Rights for the European Union.

 The Treaty of
Lisbon was ratified by all member states of the European Union, as it had to be
for it to be adopted as an amendment treaty for the main treaties of the European
Union.