On January 1, 2025, Bulgaria and Romania will officially remove land border controls with other neighboring Schengen countries and fully join the Schengen Area. In June 1985, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg signed an agreement in the small town of Schengen, Luxembourg, to establish the Schengen Area, aimed at achieving free movement of people and goods between countries and promoting the process of European integration. The total population of the Schengen Area currently exceeds 0.42 billion, with 29 member countries, 25 of which are EU member states. (CCTV International News)