The border of the European Union consists of the land borders that member states of the EU share with non-EU states adjacent to the union. The EU shares land borders with 21 countries and 3 dependencies.
The border of the European Union consists of the land borders that member states of the EU share with non-EU states adjacent to the union. The EU shares land borders with 21 countries and 3 dependencies.
The lengths of the borders the European Union and the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) [lower-alpha 1] share with different countries and territories are listed below. Maritime borders are not included.
| Country / Dependency | Length [1] | Member states | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 Akrotiri and Dhekelia (U.K.) | 156 km (97 mi) | Cyprus | Open border |
 Albania | 212 km (132 mi) | Greece | |
 Andorra | 118 km (73 mi) | Spain and France | Open border |
 Belarus | 1,176 km (731 mi) | Latvia, Lithuania and Poland | |
 Bosnia and Herzegovina | 956 km (594 mi) | Croatia | |
 Brazil | 649 km (403 mi) | France | The border is located in French Guiana |
 Gibraltar (U.K.) | 1.2 km (0.75 mi) | Spain | |
 Liechtenstein | 34 km (21 mi) | Austria | Open border through Schengen |
 Morocco | 18.5 km (11.5 mi) | Spain | The border is located in Ceuta and Melilla |
 Moldova | 683 km (424 mi) | Romania | |
 Monaco | 6 km (3.7 mi) | France | Open border |
 Montenegro | 19 km (12 mi) | Croatia | |
 North Macedonia | 396 km (246 mi) | Bulgaria and Greece | |
 Norway | 2,375 km (1,476 mi) | Finland and Sweden | Open border through Schengen |
 Russia | 2,435 km (1,513 mi) | Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland | |
 San Marino | 37 km (23 mi) | Italy | Open border |
 Serbia | 1,353 km (841 mi) | Bulgaria, Hungary, Croatia and Romania | |
 Sint Maarten (Kingdom of the Netherlands) [lower-alpha 2] | 16 km (9.9 mi) | France | Open border; located in Saint Martin |
 Suriname | 556 km (345 mi) | France | The border is located in French Guiana |
 Switzerland | 1,729 km (1,074 mi) | Germany, Austria, France and Italy | Open border through Schengen |
 Turkey | 415 km (258 mi) | Bulgaria and Greece | |
 Ukraine | 1,324 km (823 mi) | Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia | |
| United Kingdom | 499 km (310 mi) | Ireland and France [lower-alpha 3] | Open border with Ireland through the Common Travel Area |
 Vatican City | 3.5 km (2.2 mi) | Italy | Open border |
| Country / Dependency | Length | OCTs | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 Canada | 1,280 m (4,200 ft) | Greenland (Kingdom of Denmark) | Located in Hans island |
 Australian Antarctic Territory (Australia) | N/A | French Southern and Antarctic Lands (France) | Located in Antarctica. Most countries do not recognize Antarctic territorial claims |
 British Antarctic Territory (U.K.) | |||
| Queen Maud Land (Norway) | |||
 Ross Dependency (New Zealand) | |||
 Argentine Antarctica (Argentina) | |||
 Chilean Antarctic Territory (Chile) |
The northern part of Cyprus is legally part of the EU, but law is suspended due to it being under the control of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, a self-proclaimed de facto state which is recognized only by Turkey. The two entities are separated by the United Nations Buffer Zone in Cyprus, which serves as a de facto boundary between them.
In 2004 the European Union developed the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) for the promotion of cooperation between the EU and its neighbours to the east and south of the European territory of the EU (i.e., excluding its outermost regions outside of Europe), [2] which, in part, includes the Cross-Border Cooperation programme aimed at the promotion of economic development in border areas and ensuring border security. [3]
The Border and Coast Guard Agency, more commonly known as Frontex, was established in 2004. Its main task is external border control of the Schengen Area. Most of its activities are coordinated with the coast and border guards of member states.
Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search is conducted over. These include mountain rescue; ground search and rescue, including the use of search and rescue dogs ; urban search and rescue in cities; combat search and rescue on the battlefield and air-sea rescue over water.
The Schengen Agreement is a treaty which led to the creation of Europe's Schengen Area, in which internal border checks have largely been abolished. It was signed on 14 June 1985, near the town of Schengen, Luxembourg, by five of the ten member states of the then European Economic Community. It proposed measures intended to gradually abolish border checks at the signatories' common borders, including reduced-speed vehicle checks which allowed vehicles to cross borders without stopping, allowing residents in border areas freedom to cross borders away from fixed checkpoints, and the harmonisation of visa policies.
The special territories of members of the European Economic Area (EEA) are the 32 special territories of EU member states and EFTA member states which, for historical, geographical, or political reasons, enjoy special status within or outside the European Union and the European Free Trade Association.
The European Union has a number of relationships with foreign states. According to the European Union's official site, and a statement by Commissioner Günter Verheugen, the aim is to have a ring of countries, sharing EU's democratic ideals and joining them in further integration without necessarily becoming full member states.
Europe, the westernmost portion of Eurasia, is often divided into regions and subregions based on geographical, cultural or historical factors. Since there is no universal agreement on Europe's regional composition, the placement of individual countries may vary based on criteria being used. For instance, the Balkans is a distinct geographical region within Europe, but individual countries may alternatively be grouped into South-eastern Europe or Southern Europe.
The European Border and Coast Guard Agency, commonly known as Frontex, is an agency of the European Union headquartered in Warsaw, Poland. In coordination with the border and coast guards of member states, it exercises border control of the European Schengen Area, a task within the area of freedom, security and justice domain. Formally, the Agency's remit is to "support Member States on the ground in their efforts to protect the external borders"; it does not have authority to act otherwise unless "external border control" [by a member state] "is rendered ineffective to such an extent that it risks jeopardising the functioning of the Schengen area".
The visa policy of the Schengen Area is a component within the wider area of freedom, security and justice policy of the European Union. It applies to the Schengen Area and to other EU member states except Ireland. The visa policy allows nationals of certain countries to enter the Schengen Area via air, land or sea without a visa for up to 90 days within any 180-day period. Nationals of certain other countries are required to have a visa to enter and, in some cases, transit through the Schengen area.
Currently, all of the European microstates have some form of relations with the European Union (EU).
The Schengen Area is an area encompassing 29 European countries that have officially abolished border controls at their mutual borders. Being an element within the wider area of freedom, security and justice policy of the European Union (EU), it mostly functions as a single jurisdiction under a common visa policy for international travel purposes. The area is named after the 1985 Schengen Agreement and the 1990 Schengen Convention, both signed in Schengen, Luxembourg.
The area of freedom, security and justice (AFSJ) of the European Union (EU) is a policy domain concerning home affairs and migration, justice as well as fundamental rights, developed to address the challenges posed to internal security by collateral effects of the free movement of people and goods in the absence of border controls or customs inspection throughout the Schengen Area, as well as to safeguard adherence to the common European values through ensuring that the fundamental rights of people are respected across the EU.
The Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs is a Directorate-General of the European Commission. The role of the body is to ensure the EU's security, to build a common EU migration and asylum policy, and to promote dialogue and cooperation with non-EU countries. Thereby, it contributes to the area of freedom, security and justice (AFSJ).
National identity cards are identity documents issued to citizens of most European Union and European Economic Area (EEA) member states, with the exception of Denmark and Ireland. As a new common identity card model replaced the various formats in use from 2 August 2021, recently issued ID cards are harmonized across the EEA, while older ID cards are currently being phased out according to Regulation (EU) 2019/1157.
The Eurosphere or the European Empire is a concept centered around the European Union's sphere of influence, a term associated with the public intellectual Mark Leonard, Oxford University academic Jan Zielonka, the European Union Director-General for Politico-Military Affairs Robert Cooper and the former European Commission President José Manuel Barroso.
The European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) is a planned electronic authorisation system of the European Union for visa-exempt visitors travelling to the Schengen Area, as well as Cyprus. ETIAS is planned to be implemented sometime in late 2024.
The European Union Agency for the Operational Management of Large-Scale IT Systems in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice (eu-LISA) is an agency of the European Union (EU) that was founded in 2011 to ensure the uninterrupted operation of large-scale IT systems within the area of freedom, security and justice (AFSJ), that are instrumental in the implementation of the asylum, border management and migration policies of the EU. It began its operational activities on 1 December 2012.
Military Mobility is one of the initial projects launched under the European Union's (EU) Permanent Structured Cooperation in Defence (PESCO) facility. It is commonly termed a "Military Schengen" as it is inspired by the EU's Schengen Area, but designated to aid the free movement of military units and assets throughout Europe via removal of bureaucratic barriers and improvement of infrastructure.
The Border and Migration Police is a law enforcement branch of the Albanian State Police. It is tasked to oversee and control the transiting of goods and persons across the country's territory. The Border and Migration Police carries out enforcement measures to prevent the illegal border crossings of foreign nationals and nationals engaged in the illegal trafficking of goods. It cooperates with other state police branches in effort to facilitate an efficient management of the borders that are safe and secure.
The migration and asylum policy of the European Union is within the area of freedom, security and justice, established to develop and harmonise principles and measures used by member countries of the European Union to regulate migration processes and to manage issues concerning asylum and refugee status in the European Union.
Since at least 2008, Greece has pushed back tens of thousands of migrants, especially at the Evros border with Turkey and in the Aegean Sea. On land, the pushbacks involve taking people who have arrived at the Greek side of the border and transferring them to the Turkish side; most cases involve some form of abuse. Maritime pushbacks typically involve taking migrants who have either entered Greek territorial waters or landed on Greek islands and depositing them in Turkish territorial waters on craft without any means of propulsion. The number of pushbacks has increased following the European migrant crisis and breakdown in EU–Turkey relations in 2020. This incident occurred as a result of Turkey ceasing to prevent migrants from leaving for the European Union in February 2020, and in some instances actively encouraging them.