European Border-Free Zone Expalnds to 24 After Nine States Joined Schengen Accord

December 21, 2007 9:30 a.m. EST

London, England (AHN) - The European border-free zone now covers 24 nations with nine new states joining the Schengen agreement.

Joining the zone were Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Solvakia, and Slovenia, BBC News reported.

The Schengen pact provides passport-free travel across the area, said BBC News.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel described the event as "truly historic."

BBC News reported the significant development is being marked by 48 hours of celebrations by at least 2,000 people in Frankfurt town in Germany. The European Union anthem and Beethoven's Ode to Joy were played amid fireworks display.

"From midnight tonight you can travel 4,000km (2,485 miles) from Tallinn in Estonia to Lisbon in Portugal without any border controls," said Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico.

By the end of March 2008, the border-free zone would be extended to airports.