I realised what "Schengen" was all about when, along with other EU Justice and Home Affairs Ministers, I attended the celebrations presided over by the Grand Duke of Luxembourg, marking the 20th anniversary of the inception of the Schengen concept.

Before 1985 anyone living in Schengen had to carry his passport whenever he travelled a few kilometres from his residence, and was forced to exchange currency each time he crossed the border. A normal Sunday outing in one direction meant inconvenience.

After the Schengen Agreement, a small number of EU states, which has now grown to 22, adopted a body of EU law which guarantees an easier freedom of movement of any person, whether an EU national or not, residing in 'Schengen territory'. At the same time, it ensures a series of compensatory measures needed to maintain and reinforce the level of security in view of the dismantling of the internal borders of EU Schengen member states.

This means that for countries in the Schengen area, no checks are effected at the internal borders. An Australian national leaving Malta by ferry and driving through Italy to France is only checked at the first external border of the EU, in this case Malta. Likewise, a person entering Malta from France or Germany, whatever his nationality, is not checked at the Maltese border, once he has been checked on entering France or Germany.

To strengthen the external border of member states, a Schengen Information System has been set up supplying information on certain categories of persons and property. Consequently a non-EU national refused entry in France may not be admitted at the Maltese border; and vice-versa. For all new Schengen members, the accession to 'Schengenland' will be introduced in two stages: land and sea borders will be lifted in December, while air borders will be eliminated on March 28.

Becoming part of Schengen did not just consist of linking up to the SIS - a laborious task was completed thanks to the dedication of the Schengen Project Team set up in my ministry and the IT experts in the Police Force. It also involved considerable changes at the airport, seaport, and changes in police operating procedures, police co-operation, and the Maltese consulates abroad which will be issuing Schengen visas.

The implementation of the Schengen acquis required intensive preparations for a number of evaluations by the Schengen Evaluation Group; the success obtained during these evaluations is mostly due to the work of a small group of highly motivated and knowledgeable officers who managed to comply with all required preparations, very often against all odds, within extremely tight timeframes.

The full beneficial impact of joining Schengen will be felt mostly towards the end of March, when anyone flying from Malta to any Schengen state will pass through that part of the receiving airport where there are no border checks. However, as from mid-December, our sea-border with neighbouring Italy will be abolished, allowing persons leaving Malta by sea to reach the continent without any bureaucratic impediments.

This event will be celebrated in the proper manner on December 21; for the first time in Malta's history a border with a neighbouring state will come to an end. Malta's accession to the Schengen area is another step, along with the adoption of the euro, towards further integration with European ideas and ideals.