Berlin Wall now moves to the East

Tomorrow Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Baltic countries and Malta will join Schengen zone and there will be no borders between these countries and other states of Schengen agreement. Now there will be no borders between all the countries of European Union (except recent newers Romania and Bulgaria). Amazing news for citizens and residents of EU countries. In fact, that's a good news for me, my Polish residence permission will allow me to travel over the Europe  without any visas. However, passport control will remain in airports for inter-EU races till March 2008. But what about my friends in Ukraine? They will have to pay 35 euro “reducted” price for a short-term visa. They will receive refusals more frequently and without explanation of the reasons. More queues at the embassies because you cannot pay to the company which will help you to obtain a visa. You'll have to come to the embassy by yourself, at the working day and waste several hours there. Or, if it is Germany, you'll have to make a reservation for appointment at least one month before the journey. Every Ukrainian is treated as potential illegal worker, terrorist etc. Europe also plans to take fingerprints for every non-EU tourist who wish to visit EU. You'll not receive your money back, if the embassy refused to give you a visa.

At the same time, citizens of EU do not need any visa to enter Ukraine.

But...you remember what have happened to Berlin Wall. I think some day either this will  happen again or europeans will just understand that “migration control” is stupid.

Шенґен

У Польщі вже активно демонтують шлагбауми, паркани та таблички «Державний кордон. Перехід заборонено» на кордоні з Німеччиною, Чехією та Словаччиною. Шматки шлагбаумів та інші атрибути будуть продавати на аукціоні allegro (allegro.pl, аналог eBay у Польщі). Як нещодавно дізнався, у 1920 році місто Чєшин кордон розрізав навпіл, утворивши два міста — Чєшин та Чеський Чєшин. Там вже знесено всі шлагбауми, хоча митна служба до півночі ще працюватиме. Подібно демонтують кордони й у Татрах, що завжди було проблемою для місцевих мешканців, які досьогодні перетинали кордон через ліс нелегально.