More than ten million visas issued in 2023 in the Schengen area

The European Commission announced on Tuesday that more than ten million Schengen visas were issued in 2023 and that more than 500,000 people visited countries in the European Free Movement Area, representing 92% of pre-Covid-19 levels.

The European Commission said in a statement that last year, according to the Schengen report, which aggregates information provided by the bloc’s countries, “more than ten million Schengen visas were issued and more than 500,000 passengers visited the Schengen area.” which corresponds to 92% of pre-pandemic levels in 2019.”

“It has made a significant contribution to the economy of the European Union (EU), with tourism contributing around 10% of European Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and creating jobs for more than 22 million people,” the community leader added.

The European Commission is looking ahead to this year with the intention of “strengthening the legal framework” of the Schengen area, including cooperation between member states’ police forces regarding borders.

Brussels also wants to move forward to “complete” the Schengen area by including Bulgaria and Romania, “starting with the abolition of controls at air and sea borders,” a measure that was officially announced on March 31.

“A further decision by the Council on the abolition of land border controls” with the two countries is required, the European Commission said.

The Schengen area was created by the EU in 1995 and allows more than 400 million people to move freely between member countries without going through border controls.

The Schengen area covers more than 25 European countries, the vast majority of which are EU member states.