Schengen Area: Difference between revisions

Visas became commonplace during the [[interwar period]], as did border controls. After the [[Second World War]], however, customs unions arose between various European countries. The [[Nordic Passport Union|Nordic countries allowed free movement and residence between them in 1954]], and the countries of [[Benelux]] opened their mutual borders in 1960. This reflected a greater trend towards European integration; the [[European Communities]] (EC), the predecessor of the EU, waswere established in the 1950s for economic cooperation, though it did not deal with border control issues.