New winds of change are blowing across Europe. Starting December 21, the passport free Schengen Zone will be expanded to include nine more countries — eight of them former Iron Curtain members. Fewer land and sea travel border checks will be required for these countries. Not only that, but by March the expansion is expected to include airports in 24 European nations.
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The Schengen Zone was born out of the 1985 agreement in a Luxembourg village (from which it takes its name) between Germany, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg. Since then it has expanded to include 30 European members, including all EU member states and three non EU members. This recent expansion is the largest and includes Malta and eight Eastern European states.
For now, all the excitement is centered on the fact that daily life will become easier for residents rather than any dramatic changes in economic status for the newly inducted countries. In towns like Valga-Valka on the Estonian Latvian border, Seminar Street which begins in Latvia ends in Estonia as Sepa Street, with a border patrol plunked in between. Such former East European remnants will disappear.