…is not an absolute right for EU citizens. So what are the conditions and do some Europeans have more rights than others?

How It Works: Free movement in the Schengen area

Does the Schengen agreement  allow us to travel freely?

Last summer scenes like these  hit the headlines.

France had decided to send back  undesired foreign visitors.

Criticism was widespread  because these visitors

- Roma people from Eastern Europe -  were EU citizens.

Did the freedom of movement  within the EU not apply to them?

Free movement is not  an absolute right.

You cannot move to  another country as you wish,

settle there and apply for  social security.

and prove that  you can sustain yourself.

It's not like free movement in the US  - where I can beg in Maine

and move to San Francisco where it's  warmer - I don't have that right in Europe.

The Schengen agreement is named after  a border village in Luxembourg.

Here in 1985 on a boat  moored on the Moselle river,

junior ministers from the Benelux  countries, France and Germany

signed an agreement on  the principle of free movement.

I call the last 20 years  the EU's euro hippy phase.

It was a time when politicians  liked to dream of an open Europe.

25 years ago these junior ministers  signed up to this.

Did they know they would no longer be  able to set their own immigration policies?

In times of crisis  the dream of a borderless Europe

seems to have the potential to turn into  a nightmare - to some anyway.

New members - Bulgaria and Romania -  hope to enter in the near future.

There is disagreement among experts  over their readiness to join.

The UK does not want to join,  but Ireland does.

It shares an open border  with its big neighbour.

Divided Cyprus  will have to wait for reunification.

The next 10-15 years  will involve filling the security gaps

created by free movement  and progress is already underway

between police forces  and border guards.

There are EU initiatives and those  between neighbouring countries.

It is important to fill in  these security gaps.

So the freedom of movement  enshrined in the EU treaties

and the Schengen area's borderless EU  are closely linked but not the same.

adequate security and  the combat of organised crime

to remain cherished  by Europe's citizens.