Italians will soon no longer need a passport to enter most of the European Union's new member states, it was announced on Thursday.
On December 21, the 1985 Schengen Agreement, which abolishes border controls between participating states, comes into effect in nine of the 10 countries that joined the EU in May 2004.
"The borders will open on December 21 and all nine frontiers will be fully open," a spokesperson for the rotating EU presidency, currently held by Portugal, said on Thursday.
The Schengen Agreement, which ended border controls between signatory European nations, was originally signed by just five European states in 1985.
It was expanded and officially adopted by the EU in 1997 although the United Kingdom and Ireland opted out.
At the moment, it is effective in 15 countries: 13 of the states that were EU members prior to May 2004, as well as Norway and Iceland, which are not part of the EU.
Cyprus, the tenth country to join the EU in 2004, has asked for another year before implementing the agreement, while Romania and Bulgaria, which entered the European bloc ten months ago, have not yet meet Schengen's criteria for abolishing border controls.
Switzerland, another non-EU country, is also a signatory to Schengen and is expected to implement the agreement in November 2008.
