European Union

The sixth meeting of the Accession Conference with Albania was held today in Brussels opening negotiations on Cluster 4: Green agenda and sustainable connectivity.

The Council adopts a recommendation on the transition away from temporary protection for displaced persons from Ukraine.

En plein climat de tensions entre les deux pays, Jordan Bardella, président du parti Rassemblement National, continue de cibler l’Algérie dans ses discours. Récemment, le […]

L’article « Chaque année, nous donnons des milliards à l’Algérie » : la nouvelle sortie polémique de Bardella est apparu en premier sur .

Snus has been banned in the EU since Sweden's accession in 1995

"It's time to deliver," said EU President Ursula von der Leyen in a conference speech on Tuesday, without saying when new guidelines will arrive

Croatia, Portugal, Austria and Slovenia will see big gains at the expense of Germany, Spain and France

Pharmacists blasted Berlin’s reform plans, saying a delayed fee hike puts the survival of many German pharmacies at risk

The EU's executive want to propose a revamp of existing consumer protection enforcement rules so it can handle "big cases"

It is the second time this year that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has to defend her Commission in the European Parliament

Attachés will also raise the ePrivacy Directive in an upcoming working party to address “cookie consent fatigue”

Faith Kipyegon storms to a fourth world 1500m title and extends her streak of dominance with a fifth consecutive global gold in the event.

An amendment to the ePrivacy framework could mean fewer websites having to serve cookie pop-ups

Nawrocki’s trip also underlined the difficulties Merz faces in rebuilding close cooperation with Germany’s two biggest neighbours, Poland and France

Draghi said long-term contracts must apply to all renewables and nuclear, while Europe should pool its gas buying power

La Commission européenne proposera des sanctions à l’encontre d’Israël mercredi 17 septembre, dans le but de faire pression sur le gouvernement de Benyamin Netanyahou dans le cadre de sa guerre à Gaza.

The post La Commission européenne proposera des sanctions contre Israël demain appeared first on Euractiv FR.

Influential Italian economist calls for "radical simplification" of GDPR on the one-year anniversary of his landmark report on European competitiveness

The Commission president had announced that she would sign AI “pilot projects” today, but the remarks appear to have been a mistake

Within the Schengen area, European Union (EU) citizens and non-EU nationals legally residing in the EU can move freely without being subject to border controls.

The Schengen area has 29 member countries: 25 EU countries (all except Ireland and Cyprus) and 4 non-EU countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland). Ireland chose not to join the Schengen area, although its police and judiciary cooperate fully with other Schengen countries in criminal matters.

As of 31 March 2024, Bulgaria and Romania are part of the Schengen area. On that date, border checks were lifted at internal air and sea borders. In January 2025, checks were also removed at internal land borders.

Common rules for the Schengen area

To ensure safe and controlled entry into the Schengen area, the Schengen Borders Code sets out common rules for checks at external borders. These include rules on identity verification and the duration of stay, as well as the common visa requirements. The Code also sets out the conditions for a temporary reintroduction of controls at internal borders within the Schengen area.

Following a 2024 update:

• EU countries can set up internal border checks for a maximum of two years in the case of a serious threat to internal security or public policy (a terrorist threat, for example).
• EU countries can reduce the number of border crossing points or shorten their opening hours in cases where a non-EU country encourages the movement of migrants towards the EU’s external borders.
• The Council can decide to introduce temporary travel restrictions at the EU’s external borders in the case of a large-scale public health emergency (a pandemic, for example).

Common visa policy

The EU has established a common visa policy for persons travelling through or staying for a short period in the Schengen area.

The Visa Code sets out the rules for obtaining short-stay visas, which are the most common type for people from outside the EU. These visas let you stay in the EU for 90 days within a 180-day period. If a person wants to stay longer than 90 days, they have to follow the national rules of the EU country they wish to stay in.

The EU has a list of countries whose citizens need a visa to enter the EU, and a list of countries whose citizens do not.

Digitalisation of the visa procedure

Under new rules from 2023, applications for Schengen visas will be made through an online EU platform. The system will automatically decide which EU country will handle an application. Digital visas will be issued once the online platform has been put in place, which is expected to take a few years.

Further information

• Free movement of persons, EU Fact Sheets, European Parliament, June 2025
• State of the Schengen area, Briefing, European Parliamentary Research Service, May 2025
• Schengen, European Commission, February 2025
• Revision of the Schengen Borders Code, European Parliamentary Research Service, Briefing, July 2024

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The package of measures will likely face resistance from EU governments

Sex education, or sexualisation? Poland is divided on new sexual health school curriculum