Dhaka, June 14 -- Forty years after the signing of the Schengen Agreement, the Council of the European Union has adopted a new Schengen Declaration, reaffirming its commitment to the Schengen area and highlighting its significance for European cooperation and integration.

The original Schengen Agreement was signed on 14 June 1985 by Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands, with the goal of gradually removing internal border controls and enabling free movement for citizens.

The Schengen Convention, signed in 1990, laid out the practical arrangements for implementation and officially entered into force in 1995.

Nowadays, the Schengen area consists of 29 countries. All EU member states except for Cyprus and Ireland plus ...