As of 2025, Romania and Bulgaria are full members of the Schengen area that counterintuitive dismantling of borders refuses to be snuffed out in an age of rising nationalism.
Erasmus, the scheme that lent its name to a whole generation of students, opened Europe’s doors, emphasizing the cultural and educational movement intrinsic to the EU.
The first time I experienced the Schengen effect... I learned, with amusement, that it was common for people living in Strasbourg to do their grocery shopping across the border in Kehl.
Quickly, the absence of any kind of border became simply anodyne to me... It felt no more significant than driving from Ohio to New York.
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