Schengen turns 40
This year, Europe celebrates the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Schengen Agreement.
Daniela Budu, 16.06.2025, 13:50
Romania’s foreign minister Emil Hurezeanu attended on 14th June the ceremony marking the 40th anniversary of the creation of the Schengen free movement area.
According to a statement from the foreign ministry in Bucharest, the ceremony was hosted by the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, in the village of Schengen, where the agreement was in fact signed four decades ago. In his address, Emil Hurezeanu emphasised the historic importance of Romania’s Schengen membership and its role in consolidating the cohesion, unity and resilience of the European project. He noted that this is Romania’s first anniversary as a full Schengen member, having finalised its accession process on 1st January this year. The minister also spoke, the statement also reads, about the special link between Romania and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg within the former’s European path, including Luxembourg’s hosting the signing of Romania’s EU accession treaty 20 years ago.
The Romanian official highlighted the importance of the Schengen area for the protection of the freedoms and enhancing the prosperity of European citizens, and the joint responsibility in protecting free movement and consolidating internal European security. He said Romania will also continue to actively support this endeavour as a full Schengen member, the statement says.
On the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Schengen Agreement, interim prime minister Cătălin Predoiu said the agreement is “a founding stone of European unity”. “Freedom of movement, common security and economic growth define Schengen 40. Since 2024, Romania has been proudly sharing these benefits together with all Europeans”, Predoiu also said in a statement. In fact, the 2025 state of Schengen report highlights the commitment of Schengen member states to further improve cooperation within this area, with the aim of boosting competitiveness and economic growth. This reflects the key principle of the Schengen Area, namely freedom of movement, with benefits with respect to cohesion and collaboration between member states.
The Schengen Agreement was signed on 14th June 1985 by Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg and The Netherlands. It was a response to the evolution of the Cold War and reflected the wish of the European states to promote peace and unity after WWII. Today, Schengen is the largest area of free movement, security and justice in the world. It includes 29 states, of which 25 are EU members, as well as four non-EU states, namely Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. In its history, the Schengen area has expanded nine times, with Romania and Bulgaria being the most recent states to join fully, from January 1st 2025.
