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Hungarian border police officers check the passports of motorists at one of the Hungarian-Slovakian border crossing points near Pacin, Hungary, in this July 9, 1994 file photo. In the two decades since the concept of borderless Europe has gained clear contours, the borderless area has extended to 15 countries, and Schengen has become the synonym for free movement of people, one of the basic liberties stemming from EU membership, along with the single market and free circulation of goods. On Thursday, Dec. 21, 2007, nine new countries, most of them ex-Communist states in eastern Europe, join the zone in a deeply symbolic move, another step in their transition from oppressed Soviet satellites into full-fledged EU members. (AP Photo/Bela Szandelszky, file)