r/interesting • u/Weary_Position_9591 • Sep 17 '26

SOCIETY The European Union accepts Canada as its first “Associate Member”

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u/PlasmaMatus Sep 17 '26

Not yet but it could happen. Norway, and Switzerland, have signed association agreements with the EU to be part of the Schengen Area.

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u/Gerf93 Sep 17 '26

Schengen is between 25 of the EU members (Cyprus and Ireland excepted) and the EFTA countries (Switzerland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland)

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u/squngy Sep 17 '26 edited Sep 17 '26

Yes, but Norway, Switzerland (and Iceland, Liechtenstein) do not have free movement.

You may still need a visa to work or stay more than 90 days (all Schengen areas automatically allow up 90 days)

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u/PlasmaMatus 28d ago

These countries do have free movement, for work visas it's much easier than for citizens of other countries.

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u/GreenTeaInTheMorning 29d ago

Because they are in Europe....

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u/PlasmaMatus 28d ago

Europe is defined by people not by geography so it's a very vague definition, Ireland is in Europe but isn't part of Schengen.

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u/GreenTeaInTheMorning 28d ago

What you're saying doesn't really make sense. Europe is a geographical concept. If we're going down that route, then Europe is also defined by the people who live there. Either way, it doesn't change the point.

Ireland it's outside Schengen because it chose not to join. If it wanted to, it could, because it's a European country.

Schengen was created explicitly as a framework for managing European borders. Countries need to be in Europe to be part of it. That's literally how it's set up. You can check the European Parliament documents on that.

The EU and Schengen are also two different things. The EU is a political and economic union. Schengen is about border controls and freedom of movement. Being in the EU doesn't automatically make you part of Schengen and vice versa.

Schengen and EU are not the same plus this isn't about some cultural identity. It's a legal border agreement between participating European countries.