German Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière on Thursday said he was opposed to the rapid admission of EU countries like Romania or Bulgaria to the Schengen area without border controls. The 1985 Schengen Agreement, which led to the creation of Europe’s Schengen area, abolished permanent border checks and was signed by five of the ten members states at the time. Of the current 28 EU countries, the UK, Ireland, Cyprus and the relatively new members Bulgaria, Romania and Croatia have been left outside of these borders; the Schengen area is comprised of 22 EU countries. "As long as the EU's external borders are insecure, there will be the need for internal border controls," he said. READ ALSO: Merkel calls for extension of EU border controls in Schengen area

Source: The Local September 14, 2017 15:22 UTC