Easing of border controls may revolutionize travel

In March, 7 European countries took a significant step toward solving gridlock at airports by scrapping passport controls for people traveling between them. On March 26, 1995, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain, and Portugal dropped passport controls. Though also a signatory to Europe's Schengen Convention, Italy has made it clear it is not ready to relax its border controls. Austria, on the other hand, has expressed a keen interest in joining the Schengen Convention. A diplomat from Belgium, which currently holds the revolving presidency of the Schengen Convention, said the move had been taken more in the spirit of European integration than specifically for the benefits it would bring to the travel-and-tourism industry.