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Im Polish, living outside of my country for 15 years. Wales, England, Germany and now the Netherlands. Yep, thats a huge Bonus of the EU. For me, for sure.
Hi. Most people understandably see EU’s freedom of movement and the Schengen area as a free-passport device for people and tourists to travel across. But that is just a consequence, a byproduct and really an insignificant aspect of it. The main point is for EU citizen to be able to settle anywhere. To settle, not just to go somewhere, holliday a few weeks then go home. To settle, meaning you can work anywhere, you can send your kids to local schools, you can access local social security, etc. Even vote in some elections. Make a life, to sum it up, without fear you could be discriminated against locals. It requires so much more than just removing border checks or border infrastructures. For instance, qualification recognition is critical to this. If you’re an Italian surgeon, you can go, live and work as a surgeon anywhere in the bloc. Same for taxes, social security and numerous other aspects of daily life which had to be « harmonised » or agreed upon as equivalent. It’s a gigantic negotiation and alignment work that has been done quietly to get there. Just to clarify a point from the video, you won’t be asked any question at the border if you’re coming from an EU but not Schengen country (for instance Ireland or Romania) and crossing into a Schengen country. You don’t have to justify anything, just to prove you’re an EU citizen and as such are entitled to cross that border. Now if you come from the US, or Japan or whichever non EU, non Schengen country, you must justify why you want to cross that border. You’re not entitled to anything, you’ve just got a temporary privilege to come and do something very specific, and nothing else. That’s why border control will ask you about the reasons you’re here: work, vacations, school/university… and check you’ve been granted permission by local authorities. Cheers😉
Exactly. Free movement of goods, people, capital and services, and they mean it. That qualification recognition is one aspect of it about which 95% of EU'ans will never have to know or worry about. In that respect (free movement of xyz), IMO the EU behaves actually very much like the USA.
The UK is no longer in the EU because of Brexit, but Ireland is! And many Brits with Irish family are using Irish passports to be able to move and work where they want in Europe.
9:32 "how they go to identify you ?" ?!? Well, we all have an identity card. I don't have a passport for years and I've traveled many Shengen countries. But I will need a passport if I go outside the Shengen area.
You don't need a passport to go to Ireland. If you're from an EU country and your country issues national ID cards, your national ID card should be enough to enter Ireland. I entered the UK (on my way to Poland), back when they were in the EU, using my Portuguese ID card, not my passport, and the UK was never part of the Schengen Area.
@@Tyu-f1s Yes, but not necessarily a passport. If you were an EU/EEA member-state citizen, you could enter the UK using just your national ID card (provided your country issued one). I did that back in 2009, on my way to Poland.
@@Tyu-f1s Maybe the message mentioned passports, but that is just shorthand for "acceptable ID". As I said, I went through Bristol and Stansted "passport control" without any passport, what I presented was my national ID card - but the signage still read "passport control"
An easy way to explain it for Americans is the mainland US and then Hawaii, it's all part of the US and there's freedom of movement between the two, it's the same for EU members, regardless if there are connected by land boarder or not, but yeah, Iceland isn't in the EU but are in the Schengen zone so they gain many of the benefits.
Single Market and 4 Freedoms explained. Freedom of the movement of the people. That is you. Freedom of the movement of goods. That is your luggage. Freedom to provide services. That is your skills. Freedom of the movement of capital. That is money in your pocket. So you studied and want to move to Italy and start a hair salon. You are free to do that. Then maybe you build a company and maybe later a family.
Romania and Bulgaria also joined Schengen in march this year but only with air and maritime borders. So it’s only partial entry for now! But soon, they will integrate fully with land borders as well.
UK not only chose to not join The Schengen Agreement, they also chose to leave EU so in all metrics, UK today is just like any other third country to the rest of Europe and that is both regarding trade as well as travel. This seems to have pissed off a lot of Brits who clearly did not fully understand what they voted for when they voted to leave EU, because while not being a part of The Schengen Agreement, the EU membership gave the Brits the full right to travel in and out of other EU countries as they pleased but that stopped when UK left EU.
Crossings are for safety Americans can do that too It is not a myth. Why are you guys trying to sound like Americans about freedom? You didn’t have it for centuries and centuries and centuries before the US was even a thing. Ever since the bill of rights came into existence you people started caring about freedom too.
Much like between Paris and Guadeloupe, Martinique or Réunion, these are domestic flights across oceans. You just need a basic ID. Though, it might differ for non-EU citizens. But my German friends flew from Paris to Fort de France with their driving license and used euros there.
@@foreignreacts Because cities are a third-tier administrative entity after regions and countries, which only allow nationals in rule positions. Bad english, lost in translation.
@@foreignreacts well, freedom of movement. Beeing a mayor is like any other job. And you can work anywhere in the EU without needing to be a citizen of the country. You just need to be an EU citizen. Though I do not think this applies for prime ministers or presidents .
@@BlackHoleSpain article 40 of the fundamental rights of EU states:"Every citizen of the Union has the right to vote and to stand as a candidate at municipal elections in the Member State in which he or she resides under the same conditions as nationals of that State." Claus Ruhe Madsen has now become the first non-German citizen to govern a German city. Similarly, Dominic Fritz, a German citizen became mayor of a Romanian city.
@@foreignreactsall EU citizens have active and passive voting right in the place where they're registered as permanent resident within EU when it comes to administrative elections on a local level. That's why. E.g. I'm German, but I live in Greece. I'm registered as a permanent resident of the island of Rhodes and hence have a right to participate in the local elections here. When it comes to election for the EU parliament I have to choose if I want to vote in the country I hold citizenship of or in the country I live in. For national elections I vote in the country I have citizenship of by default. I can't vote for the Greek government, only for the German one.
3:15 The video is incorrect when it says you still need a passport to get in or out of the Schengen Area. If you're moving between a non-Schengen EU country (e.g. Ireland) to a Schengen country, you don't necessarily need a passport, provided your country issues national IDs. I'm Portuguese. The first time I went to Poland (both Schengen countries) I went via the UK, which at that point was still in the EU, though not in the Schengen Area. I didn't use any passport, I just used my Portuguese national ID card to enter the UK, stayed there for about 30 hours, then flew out to Poland. And the same on the return trip.
I'm in the UK and because a majority of our population was stupid enough to vote to leave the EU I no longer have the right of freedom of movement. This is proof that democracy doesn't always work, If enough people that aren't competent enough to tie their own shoe laces are allowed to vote there is no limit to the harm that can be done to a country.
or rather the harm that a country can do to itself ... even when some people tell others that they now would be "punished as retalliatory measures", those measures were already in place for decades with their own votes in favor of those restrictions concerning "other / 3rd" countries. they only switched sides by leaving the EU and now are on the "outside" (now being one of those "3rd countries" themselves) instead of the "inside" and thus have to follow the old existing rules that they once had agreed to and even had helped to create.
the UK was never in the Schengen area and it is not any longer in the EU. Brits hated Europeans coming over to work in the UK so they decided to leave the EU and they imposed onerous visa conditions on Europeans. As a result immigration to the UK from Europe went done close to zero. Croatia joined the Schengen area 1 January 2024. If you once get a Finnish passport you will have the right to live and work any of the EEA+EU. You can always travel with a national ID card
The passport is not the only travel document. Citizens of most European countries also have an identity card document, that allows you to travel as a tourist. Also to certain countries and territories outside the Schengen area.
quite a few decades ago (long before 1990), my parents needed a passport when they traveled to hungary, turkey and egypt. but i never had one (even before Schengen) or needed a real visa, and yet could travel with my german ID card to lots of european (EU) countries and even to africa (canary islands = spain). i only once needed to get a temporary cheap visa directly at the border to enter yugoslavia, and of course i needed to buy transit visa (using my ID card, no passport allowed!) all the time when traveling between Berlin and western germany.
When you live in a shengen country you don't need a passport but can do with an id catd. That is basicly a pasport without room for stamps and visa. It is cheaper and valid within the shengen countries. Iceland is not phisicly conected to the european continent but you are free to travell there without a visa and if you iwn a boat you xan travell there anytine.
Although UK is not in Schengen and not EU anymore, its still very easy as EU citizen to get in, as long as you don't work or study and stay less than six months.
A state is a country. And Egypt is roughly 1/3 of the US population. Which should tell you something about politicians complaining about overpopulation due to immigration.
Brexit was the issue that took our Free Movement away, I am German (EU National) but my wife isn't so she needs a Visa to travel and visit family, which is a headache.
@@foreignreacts Because, in short, Britain decided they *don't* want the _freedom of movement,_ because of _all that awful Euro immgrants_ (I'm oversimplifying it *a lot,* but that'd be the gist of it), among all the other things Brexit meant. And it works both ways: if UK doesn't give EU citizens freedom of movement, EU doesn't grant UK citizens freedom of movement.
@@foreignreacts Britain has always been a Trojan Horse within the European Union, that's why we never liked them, especially french president DeGaulle who vetoed UK for 16 years. But you've already reacted to that in the past! Why are you so surprised?
@@mateuszwisniewski3877 As wife of an EU citizen, can't your wife obtain EU citizenship ? Or is she clinging so hard to her British citizenship (knowing the British meanwhile) ?
As you mentioned, a state is not a country. Freedom of movement in the USA would mean that for instance you could travel, work and live in Canada or Mexico as any Canadian or Mexican without a border getting in your way.
I will not call the UK the big guy in Europe. I think many politicians are glad they did the Brexit. The UK were often the problem child in the EU. Now Brussels does not need to listen to them any more, but the UK has to listen to the Continent. Remember, the British agriculture can only feed about half the population, so we got them by the ba... 🙂
EU citizens can travel in the Schengen area with their identity card. Foreigners, such as English people, must show a passport. Switzerland and Norway are also not part of the EU, but are still connected to the EU. EU citizens are free to travel to Switzerland and Norway. However, this does not apply to goods to and from Switzerland. Anyone who wants to stay in Switzerland permanently must prove that they earn enough to live there. England has left the EU and is now considered a foreign state.
Because of the war, citizens of Ukraine have freedom of entry and freedom of movement in the EU. A passport is required for this. Visas from Belarus and Russia are currently being issued very hesitantly.
Inside Schengen-area you do not need your passport. Unlike the US (were often drivers licence and social security number are used for identification) all adults in the EU have national ID´s. Theese have same security features like a passport - but no pages for visas. Also they are much smaler and fit into your wallet. They are practicly a smal plastic card, a bit bigger than a credit card. This is why many EU citicens do not have a passport. Inside the Schengen Area there is no need for them, if you have your national ID with you.
Baarle (Hertog and Nassau) was fine before Schengen too. Most of the population casually or professionally engaged in smuggling, though, but no one cared.
my company has branches in (more than) 4 countries - UK, NL, D, B - before Br*x*t we3 had colleagues living in countries - some have now had to return home or apply for residency. in 2017, I was visiting Flanders Fields WWi and instead of returning home on the Eurostar, I got on the train from Lille , France to go to work in the Amsterdam office (only €35 single too) on Monday! this was pre-covid too - so it's all TEAMs meetings now 😞
In practice it's like this: if I feel like getting in my car at Cabo da Roca (the westernmost place in Europe) and decide to go to Warsaw, it's simple. I do 3,300kms +/-. Atravesso Portugal e de repente vejo os sinais da estrada em espanhol. Ups já estou em Espanha. E por aí fora até chegar a Varsóvia, Polónia
The freedom of movements is one of the best things about UE. I can travel, live and work anywhere whithin Shengen area anytime without any paperwork. Having ID in a wallet with you is mostly enough, but passport is ok too.
You should not forget that for Americans (and Brits) the very concept of an ID card is completely foreign, it does not exist over there. Imagine: a government issued ID, valid for a number of years (typically 10), which costs you just a few EUR and is valid throughout the continent, and that you are REQUIRED to have. All this is completely incomprehensible for American (and Brits). And yes, since you are REQUIRED by law to have at least an ID card, the point about voter ID is completely moot. Add to that that in most countries I know of, voter registration does not exist (i.e. if you are a resident of a town, and pay taxes there, you are automatically registered to vote)
and yet, USamericans mostly are perfectly fine with having an ID in form of their driving licenses and unique social security numbers (fun fact: that seems to be one of very few cases where they don't equate social with socialistic and communist, LOL), and with needing two or three separate proofs of identity/residency for some purposes, including such strange methods as showing mail that was sent to their home address. as i have heard, they also voluntarily can get an ID card, to be used eg for proof of age when they have no drivers license.
8:35 "WTF are these France overseas territories all around the world?" _Indubitablement,_ that's why the distance from Paris to Saint-Denis can be 5km as well as 9400km...
EU population (448.4M) alone is larger than the population of the US and Canada (380,8M). Like you discovered yourself, the european population counts in the 700M, making it the third most populated place (of approximately the same surface area) worldwide after the indian sub-continent (1.8G) and China (1.4G). The three combined represent in 2024 more than half of humanity. Since the Roman Empire and until the inter-war era in the beginning of the 20th century, it was even in the first place, representing between 1/5th and 1/4th of the human population back then.
Whether you live in Alaska or Florida you live in a different state but still in the same country, the USA. And if you live in West-Vlaanderen or Hainaut you live in a different province but still in the same country. How things are managed between those states/provinces and their respective countries may be different but basically the level is the same.
i never had a passport, but only my german ID card which was good enough all around the EU and a few other countries to cross borders and checks, and even decades before Schengen. Schengen then added lots of additional freedoms to that and made everything even more easy.
If you gave mad a passport you van bring it of cours it don't harme you. But for most of work a ID card maje the job. licen card for crad don't have the smae value as reconise but it could allow you to make some works.
Why would an American be so surprised about Schengen? AFAIK you can travel from any US state to another as you please. Do you need ID or passport for that? Think of it that the EU is kind of an USA in the making, give it some more 70 years and we might be there. Ah, at 4:40 you cover it. Although it's a bit more complicated, because EU and Schengen are not 1:1 . There's countries in Schengen which are not in the EU and vice versa. But generally speaking...
@@TheAllMightyGodofCod Come on, think a little bit in the big picture. USA was not always the way it is today. Everybody starts small. As I said: The EU is on it's way to become an European superstate. It will take time, but perhaps in 70 years it will be there. At least some 10-15 countries, not all 27. It will not be a centralized superstate that everything is decided on top level, like Finland and to my knowledge France. There is (I think) no governmental level in between those two, for which people elect representatives. In contrast to Germany (see below). So it will never be a centralized superstate, but AFAIK neither is the USA. To my understanding, the US federal government decides those things in which the states have given the authority to the federal level; other stuff is decided on state level and the Federal government has no business with it. The Federal Republic of Germany works the same: A lot of things are decided on national level, but every state (Bundesland) has it's own parliament, and for example education is purely "Bundesland" business. Same for inner security (police), shop opening hours and public holidays (different in the different states). The main question is now, which topics are subject to individual state (US state, EU nation) laws/decisions and which to top level (US Federal, EU) ? Foreign trade, agriculture, movement of people and goods - that's EU's business; I hope we agree on that? Seeing things like that, the main question for EU is: for which additional things will we hand over authority to EU level and which not? Common military and some fiscal stuff (corporate taxes?) are promising candidates in my book. The EU is already an internationally recognized political entity. It has a seat in the United Nations and the right to speak. It has no own vote, but well it's 27 members can vote. If we get a constitution done (already tried, failed due to *some* vetoes, but most were on board), and EU citizenship, we're there. What makes country (sovereign state) a country? If the world around it recognizes it as country. When the EU declares itself a "one-country" then it will be one. Ask yourself this: what difference does it make for an US citizen in which state he lives, compared to for an EU citizen in which EU member state he lives?
* You can go and study in any EU country. When you retire, all pension you earned in any country counts and you will receive it there where you choose to retire. * If you have an EU health card (just paperwork), you go abroad and go to hospital there and get treated. Hospital will deal with the getting the money from your home country, at least AFAIK. * If you order stuff from different country, there might be VAT tax differences. (e.g. me order from Amazon Germany). VAT is not same in all US states either, right? * Anything that can be sold in one country, can be sold elsewhere (product safety, food regulations). Legality of drugs (cannabis?) and alcohol might differ. In Finland you can't buy alcohol between 21.00 and 09.00 .
@@ClemensKatzer some small corrections: -its not an "EU health card". It is an European health insurance card It has limitations. If you are from country A and go live on country B, you are not supposed to permanently rely on that card as you are supposed to get a New one from country B, where you will now be paying your taxes. It is for travelers. Also, it is for emergency situations. Let me explain, if I am in Spain and need assistance, sure, I can use it but I can not decided to go and get a scheduled medical appointment there and use the card. It is like health travel insurance, to use for unexpected stuff that can happen while travelling. And of course, don't forget to get it before you live your country as if you don't, you will have to pay bills even being in the area.
re: The UK, haven't you heard of the (effing) Brexit? And even before that, they were never part of the Shengen Area though they were (briefly) part of the EU.
1. You need an ID for security purposes, not to get access to wherever it is you're flying to. 2. If you are an EU citizen an ID card is sufficient (after all, it's just like a domestic flight). So, no, you do NOT need a passport. 3. If you are an American traveling within the Schengen area, then yes, you need a US passport because it is the only ID that is guaranteed to be recognized.
Yeah, but as 0-level approximation it's useful. If you want to distinct USA, Europe, Asia and China, anything you say about EU or Europe becomes relatively speaking interchangeable. Heck, even things you can say about the EU "in general" is not valid for all EU countries. Some have Euro, some not. Ireland and Schengen. Bulgaria and Romania are in EU but not Schengen yet, or how was that? Are Vatican City, Monaco & Co. in the EU? Kind-of-ish. I highly recommend the video "The European Union Explained*" by CGP Grey. "A bottomless well of asterisks." Oldie but goldie.
@@ClemensKatzer one (or some or many) of those asterisks explain about all the "overseas territories" and similar exceptions. the info in that video is great, but should be taken with a grain of salt since it is already a bit older and doesn't always represent the current state of everything. yet a very compact and informative source of info and a good overview where to start your own research. there is also a similar video explaining about the differences between britain, great britain, england, all their territories, etc.
This state v country definition is purely US invention. Like UK is composed of 4 countries and UK is one unitary country or state of itself. In most cases state and country can be used interchangeably. It reminds me this sovereign citizen BS about US being republic not democracy or similar nonsense...
A lot of republics around the world have states, but these are clearly not countries. For example Germany does, being a country within the EU. This is not an US invention, but just one of those things which have not been clearly defined. In different languages than English, the distinction between country and state is often even less.
@user-xi6nk4xs4s I can't see Singapore being called city-country or Germany being nation country of Germans. Both terms can and often has the same meaning: sovereign polity and one of definitions of country literally is a sovereign state as if a country simply is one of types of state. State can mean country just like it can be subdivision of country( just like country can be clearly subdivision of country as well). What I'm saying is that such strict categorisation between country and state is nonsense and while both can mean different things( state of matter v country life) without prefix and in political context they can be, and are, used as each others synonym.
First American I ever heard that understand a little that American states are not countries. Well done. Now, I don't get your surprise about having more ppl in an entire continent than in an individual country. That one sounds ameri... silly. Sry
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Im Polish, living outside of my country for 15 years.
Wales, England, Germany and now the Netherlands.
Yep, thats a huge Bonus of the EU.
For me, for sure.
The UK is a ''big guy" in Europe? More a big laugh after brexit.
Hi. Most people understandably see EU’s freedom of movement and the Schengen area as a free-passport device for people and tourists to travel across. But that is just a consequence, a byproduct and really an insignificant aspect of it. The main point is for EU citizen to be able to settle anywhere. To settle, not just to go somewhere, holliday a few weeks then go home. To settle, meaning you can work anywhere, you can send your kids to local schools, you can access local social security, etc. Even vote in some elections. Make a life, to sum it up, without fear you could be discriminated against locals.
It requires so much more than just removing border checks or border infrastructures. For instance, qualification recognition is critical to this. If you’re an Italian surgeon, you can go, live and work as a surgeon anywhere in the bloc. Same for taxes, social security and numerous other aspects of daily life which had to be « harmonised » or agreed upon as equivalent. It’s a gigantic negotiation and alignment work that has been done quietly to get there.
Just to clarify a point from the video, you won’t be asked any question at the border if you’re coming from an EU but not Schengen country (for instance Ireland or Romania) and crossing into a Schengen country. You don’t have to justify anything, just to prove you’re an EU citizen and as such are entitled to cross that border.
Now if you come from the US, or Japan or whichever non EU, non Schengen country, you must justify why you want to cross that border. You’re not entitled to anything, you’ve just got a temporary privilege to come and do something very specific, and nothing else. That’s why border control will ask you about the reasons you’re here: work, vacations, school/university… and check you’ve been granted permission by local authorities.
Cheers😉
Exactly. Free movement of goods, people, capital and services, and they mean it. That qualification recognition is one aspect of it about which 95% of EU'ans will never have to know or worry about.
In that respect (free movement of xyz), IMO the EU behaves actually very much like the USA.
The UK is no longer in the EU because of Brexit, but Ireland is! And many Brits with Irish family are using Irish passports to be able to move and work where they want in Europe.
9:32 "how they go to identify you ?" ?!? Well, we all have an identity card.
I don't have a passport for years and I've traveled many Shengen countries. But I will need a passport if I go outside the Shengen area.
You don't need a passport to go to Ireland. If you're from an EU country and your country issues national ID cards, your national ID card should be enough to enter Ireland.
I entered the UK (on my way to Poland), back when they were in the EU, using my Portuguese ID card, not my passport, and the UK was never part of the Schengen Area.
UK was never a part of Schengen Area but UK citizens did have the right to freedom of movement within the EU when the country was a member of EU.
@@towanga2221 No, UK was never a member of Shengen, maybe check the info before you start correcting someone.
@@towanga2221 was not
you still had to show ID to enter UK
@@Tyu-f1s Yes, but not necessarily a passport. If you were an EU/EEA member-state citizen, you could enter the UK using just your national ID card (provided your country issued one). I did that back in 2009, on my way to Poland.
@@GazilionPT i remember the messages on the eurostar stations (well, i remember there was a message not the message itself, and gates)
@@Tyu-f1s Maybe the message mentioned passports, but that is just shorthand for "acceptable ID". As I said, I went through Bristol and Stansted "passport control" without any passport, what I presented was my national ID card - but the signage still read "passport control"
It's a huge advantage over the rest of the world
Iceland has no borders.... oh honey...... please do some homework..
He obviously meant no boarders connected to other countries. Please read between the lines.
An easy way to explain it for Americans is the mainland US and then Hawaii, it's all part of the US and there's freedom of movement between the two, it's the same for EU members, regardless if there are connected by land boarder or not, but yeah, Iceland isn't in the EU but are in the Schengen zone so they gain many of the benefits.
Single Market and 4 Freedoms explained. Freedom of the movement of the people. That is you. Freedom of the movement of goods. That is your luggage. Freedom to provide services. That is your skills. Freedom of the movement of capital. That is money in your pocket. So you studied and want to move to Italy and start a hair salon. You are free to do that. Then maybe you build a company and maybe later a family.
Romania and Bulgaria also joined Schengen in march this year but only with air and maritime borders. So it’s only partial entry for now! But soon, they will integrate fully with land borders as well.
UK not only chose to not join The Schengen Agreement, they also chose to leave EU so in all metrics, UK today is just like any other third country to the rest of Europe and that is both regarding trade as well as travel. This seems to have pissed off a lot of Brits who clearly did not fully understand what they voted for when they voted to leave EU, because while not being a part of The Schengen Agreement, the EU membership gave the Brits the full right to travel in and out of other EU countries as they pleased but that stopped when UK left EU.
just like our freedom to cross the road anywhere not just at crossings. it is a myth that the USA has more freedom. Hope you are keeping well anyways.
Crossings are for safety
Americans can do that too
It is not a myth. Why are you guys trying to sound like Americans about freedom? You didn’t have it for centuries and centuries and centuries before the US was even a thing. Ever since the bill of rights came into existence you people started caring about freedom too.
European Union is 448 million people.
In the Eueopean Union everyone has ID card. Nothing works without out it. You don’t get money out of the bank if you can’t identify yourself.
if you fly from norway to island you don t need a passport
i did fly to iceland, from NL, no problems. no passport.
That’s insane 😨
Much like between Paris and Guadeloupe, Martinique or Réunion, these are domestic flights across oceans. You just need a basic ID.
Though, it might differ for non-EU citizens.
But my German friends flew from Paris to Fort de France with their driving license and used euros there.
@@KyrilPG i believe also between NL and carabean NL. Thats way further than iceland
Normal things in EU: The mayor of my city is not a citizen of my county😊
How’s that possible 😨
@@foreignreacts Because cities are a third-tier administrative entity after regions and countries, which only allow nationals in rule positions. Bad english, lost in translation.
@@foreignreacts well, freedom of movement. Beeing a mayor is like any other job. And you can work anywhere in the EU without needing to be a citizen of the country. You just need to be an EU citizen. Though I do not think this applies for prime ministers or presidents .
@@BlackHoleSpain article 40 of the fundamental rights of EU states:"Every citizen of the Union has the right to vote and to stand as a candidate at municipal elections in the Member State in which he or she resides under the same conditions as nationals of that State." Claus Ruhe Madsen has now become the first non-German citizen to govern a German city. Similarly, Dominic Fritz, a German citizen became mayor of a Romanian city.
@@foreignreactsall EU citizens have active and passive voting right in the place where they're registered as permanent resident within EU when it comes to administrative elections on a local level. That's why.
E.g. I'm German, but I live in Greece. I'm registered as a permanent resident of the island of Rhodes and hence have a right to participate in the local elections here.
When it comes to election for the EU parliament I have to choose if I want to vote in the country I hold citizenship of or in the country I live in.
For national elections I vote in the country I have citizenship of by default. I can't vote for the Greek government, only for the German one.
Island was under the rule of Norway before. That's why its a part of this
3:15 The video is incorrect when it says you still need a passport to get in or out of the Schengen Area.
If you're moving between a non-Schengen EU country (e.g. Ireland) to a Schengen country, you don't necessarily need a passport, provided your country issues national IDs.
I'm Portuguese. The first time I went to Poland (both Schengen countries) I went via the UK, which at that point was still in the EU, though not in the Schengen Area. I didn't use any passport, I just used my Portuguese national ID card to enter the UK, stayed there for about 30 hours, then flew out to Poland. And the same on the return trip.
I'm in the UK and because a majority of our population was stupid enough to vote to leave the EU I no longer have the right of freedom of movement. This is proof that democracy doesn't always work, If enough people that aren't competent enough to tie their own shoe laces are allowed to vote there is no limit to the harm that can be done to a country.
or rather the harm that a country can do to itself ... even when some people tell others that they now would be "punished as retalliatory measures", those measures were already in place for decades with their own votes in favor of those restrictions concerning "other / 3rd" countries. they only switched sides by leaving the EU and now are on the "outside" (now being one of those "3rd countries" themselves) instead of the "inside" and thus have to follow the old existing rules that they once had agreed to and even had helped to create.
the UK was never in the Schengen area and it is not any longer in the EU. Brits hated Europeans coming over to work in the UK so they decided to leave the EU and they imposed onerous visa conditions on Europeans. As a result immigration to the UK from Europe went done close to zero. Croatia joined the Schengen area 1 January 2024. If you once get a Finnish passport you will have the right to live and work any of the EEA+EU. You can always travel with a national ID card
Yes, here we are all required to have an ID card, and unlike what happens in the USA, when the police ask us for identification we cannot refuse.
The passport is not the only travel document. Citizens of most European countries also have an identity card document, that allows you to travel as a tourist. Also to certain countries and territories outside the Schengen area.
quite a few decades ago (long before 1990), my parents needed a passport when they traveled to hungary, turkey and egypt. but i never had one (even before Schengen) or needed a real visa, and yet could travel with my german ID card to lots of european (EU) countries and even to africa (canary islands = spain). i only once needed to get a temporary cheap visa directly at the border to enter yugoslavia, and of course i needed to buy transit visa (using my ID card, no passport allowed!) all the time when traveling between Berlin and western germany.
They'll identify you by your citizen ID (credit card size) if you're an EU citizen travelling around the EU. No passport needed.
Croatia Joined the Schengen zone last year, and UK went out of the EU so they are not anymore in it
When you live in a shengen country you don't need a passport but can do with an id catd.
That is basicly a pasport without room for stamps and visa.
It is cheaper and valid within the shengen countries.
Iceland is not phisicly conected to the european continent but you are free to travell there without a visa and if you iwn a boat you xan travell there anytine.
Although UK is not in Schengen and not EU anymore, its still very easy as EU citizen to get in, as long as you don't work or study and stay less than six months.
My family is made of 3 people, all from different EU countries (my son is adopted). That's mostly thanks to freedom of movement.
A state is a country. And Egypt is roughly 1/3 of the US population. Which should tell you something about politicians complaining about overpopulation due to immigration.
Let me tell you; a state IS a country.
The US just isn't.
It's a collaboration on foreign policy and defense.
Brexit was the issue that took our Free Movement away, I am German (EU National) but my wife isn't so she needs a Visa to travel and visit family, which is a headache.
Gee that’s terrible
Why brexit?
@@foreignreacts Because, in short, Britain decided they *don't* want the _freedom of movement,_ because of _all that awful Euro immgrants_ (I'm oversimplifying it *a lot,* but that'd be the gist of it), among all the other things Brexit meant.
And it works both ways: if UK doesn't give EU citizens freedom of movement, EU doesn't grant UK citizens freedom of movement.
@@foreignreacts Britain has always been a Trojan Horse within the European Union, that's why we never liked them, especially french president DeGaulle who vetoed UK for 16 years.
But you've already reacted to that in the past! Why are you so surprised?
@@mateuszwisniewski3877 As wife of an EU citizen, can't your wife obtain EU citizenship ? Or is she clinging so hard to her British citizenship (knowing the British meanwhile) ?
@@flitsertheo You're asking the wrong person: it is OP's wife, not mine.
I dare you to try not to use the word "like" 😁
As you mentioned, a state is not a country. Freedom of movement in the USA would mean that for instance you could travel, work and live in Canada or Mexico as any Canadian or Mexican without a border getting in your way.
I will not call the UK the big guy in Europe. I think many politicians are glad they did the Brexit. The UK were often the problem child in the EU. Now Brussels does not need to listen to them any more, but the UK has to listen to the Continent. Remember, the British agriculture can only feed about half the population, so we got them by the ba... 🙂
EU citizens can travel in the Schengen area with their identity card. Foreigners, such as English people, must show a passport. Switzerland and Norway are also not part of the EU, but are still connected to the EU. EU citizens are free to travel to Switzerland and Norway. However, this does not apply to goods to and from Switzerland. Anyone who wants to stay in Switzerland permanently must prove that they earn enough to live there. England has left the EU and is now considered a foreign state.
Because of the war, citizens of Ukraine have freedom of entry and freedom of movement in the EU. A passport is required for this.
Visas from Belarus and Russia are currently being issued very hesitantly.
you don't need a passport to fly between Schengen countries, so Iceland does make sense
Inside Schengen-area you do not need your passport. Unlike the US (were often drivers licence and social security number are used for identification) all adults in the EU have national ID´s. Theese have same security features like a passport - but no pages for visas. Also they are much smaler and fit into your wallet. They are practicly a smal plastic card, a bit bigger than a credit card.
This is why many EU citicens do not have a passport. Inside the Schengen Area there is no need for them, if you have your national ID with you.
Baarle (Hertog and Nassau) was fine before Schengen too. Most of the population casually or professionally engaged in smuggling, though, but no one cared.
YOU, as a US-American need a passport, to go to Iceland. WE Europeans from the Schengen-Area don't!
my company has branches in (more than) 4 countries - UK, NL, D, B - before Br*x*t we3 had colleagues living in countries - some have now had to return home or apply for residency.
in 2017, I was visiting Flanders Fields WWi and instead of returning home on the Eurostar, I got on the train from Lille , France to go to work in the Amsterdam office (only €35 single too) on Monday!
this was pre-covid too - so it's all TEAMs meetings now 😞
Wow that’s really interesting
In practice it's like this: if I feel like getting in my car at Cabo da Roca (the westernmost place in Europe) and decide to go to Warsaw, it's simple. I do 3,300kms +/-. Atravesso Portugal e de repente vejo os sinais da estrada em espanhol. Ups já estou em Espanha. E por aí fora até chegar a Varsóvia, Polónia
The freedom of movements is one of the best things about UE. I can travel, live and work anywhere whithin Shengen area anytime without any paperwork. Having ID in a wallet with you is mostly enough, but passport is ok too.
That’s incredibly cool
You should not forget that for Americans (and Brits) the very concept of an ID card is completely foreign, it does not exist over there. Imagine: a government issued ID, valid for a number of years (typically 10), which costs you just a few EUR and is valid throughout the continent, and that you are REQUIRED to have. All this is completely incomprehensible for American (and Brits). And yes, since you are REQUIRED by law to have at least an ID card, the point about voter ID is completely moot. Add to that that in most countries I know of, voter registration does not exist (i.e. if you are a resident of a town, and pay taxes there, you are automatically registered to vote)
and yet, USamericans mostly are perfectly fine with having an ID in form of their driving licenses and unique social security numbers (fun fact: that seems to be one of very few cases where they don't equate social with socialistic and communist, LOL), and with needing two or three separate proofs of identity/residency for some purposes, including such strange methods as showing mail that was sent to their home address. as i have heard, they also voluntarily can get an ID card, to be used eg for proof of age when they have no drivers license.
8:35 "WTF are these France overseas territories all around the world?"
_Indubitablement,_ that's why the distance from Paris to Saint-Denis can be 5km as well as 9400km...
Still giggling from your joke😂 You’re going to melt down this young lad’s brain, don’t go too hard on him🤣
@@tixien Nah, he'll be right after some _zamal!_
@@chucku00 Wooo… That’s sharp, had to google it. You’re from La Réunion?
@@tixien Nope, I'm a _zoreille métropolitain_ but I know some _créole réunionais._
Plonker..
EU population (448.4M) alone is larger than the population of the US and Canada (380,8M).
Like you discovered yourself, the european population counts in the 700M, making it the third most populated place (of approximately the same surface area) worldwide after the indian sub-continent (1.8G) and China (1.4G). The three combined represent in 2024 more than half of humanity.
Since the Roman Empire and until the inter-war era in the beginning of the 20th century, it was even in the first place, representing between 1/5th and 1/4th of the human population back then.
Apparently, you can work in any state in America!
American states are as European provinces, départements, Länder, etc ... They are not separate countries.
@@flitsertheo I disagree.
Whether you live in Alaska or Florida you live in a different state but still in the same country, the USA.
And if you live in West-Vlaanderen or Hainaut you live in a different province but still in the same country.
How things are managed between those states/provinces and their respective countries may be different but basically the level is the same.
a passport is a good thing, if you are asked to identify yourself by an inland police patrol.
Most Europeans use an ID card. And many don't even own a passport.
@@flitsertheo Americans and Brits do not know what an ID card is, and if they do, for some reason they hate its existence
i never had a passport, but only my german ID card which was good enough all around the EU and a few other countries to cross borders and checks, and even decades before Schengen.
Schengen then added lots of additional freedoms to that and made everything even more easy.
Currently looking for work as a Belgian and live near the dutch border. Did some solicitations in the Netherlands.
If you gave mad a passport you van bring it of cours it don't harme you. But for most of work a ID card maje the job. licen card for crad don't have the smae value as reconise but it could allow you to make some works.
Why would an American be so surprised about Schengen? AFAIK you can travel from any US state to another as you please. Do you need ID or passport for that?
Think of it that the EU is kind of an USA in the making, give it some more 70 years and we might be there. Ah, at 4:40 you cover it.
Although it's a bit more complicated, because EU and Schengen are not 1:1 . There's countries in Schengen which are not in the EU and vice versa. But generally speaking...
What the hell are you talking about? Comparing states to countries?
@@TheAllMightyGodofCod Come on, think a little bit in the big picture. USA was not always the way it is today. Everybody starts small. As I said: The EU is on it's way to become an European superstate. It will take time, but perhaps in 70 years it will be there. At least some 10-15 countries, not all 27.
It will not be a centralized superstate that everything is decided on top level, like Finland and to my knowledge France. There is (I think) no governmental level in between those two, for which people elect representatives. In contrast to Germany (see below). So it will never be a centralized superstate, but AFAIK neither is the USA.
To my understanding, the US federal government decides those things in which the states have given the authority to the federal level; other stuff is decided on state level and the Federal government has no business with it. The Federal Republic of Germany works the same: A lot of things are decided on national level, but every state (Bundesland) has it's own parliament, and for example education is purely "Bundesland" business. Same for inner security (police), shop opening hours and public holidays (different in the different states).
The main question is now, which topics are subject to individual state (US state, EU nation) laws/decisions and which to top level (US Federal, EU) ? Foreign trade, agriculture, movement of people and goods - that's EU's business; I hope we agree on that?
Seeing things like that, the main question for EU is: for which additional things will we hand over authority to EU level and which not? Common military and some fiscal stuff (corporate taxes?) are promising candidates in my book.
The EU is already an internationally recognized political entity. It has a seat in the United Nations and the right to speak. It has no own vote, but well it's 27 members can vote.
If we get a constitution done (already tried, failed due to *some* vetoes, but most were on board), and EU citizenship, we're there. What makes country (sovereign state) a country? If the world around it recognizes it as country. When the EU declares itself a "one-country" then it will be one.
Ask yourself this: what difference does it make for an US citizen in which state he lives, compared to for an EU citizen in which EU member state he lives?
* You can go and study in any EU country. When you retire, all pension you earned in any country counts and you will receive it there where you choose to retire.
* If you have an EU health card (just paperwork), you go abroad and go to hospital there and get treated. Hospital will deal with the getting the money from your home country, at least AFAIK.
* If you order stuff from different country, there might be VAT tax differences. (e.g. me order from Amazon Germany). VAT is not same in all US states either, right?
* Anything that can be sold in one country, can be sold elsewhere (product safety, food regulations). Legality of drugs (cannabis?) and alcohol might differ. In Finland you can't buy alcohol between 21.00 and 09.00 .
@@ClemensKatzer some small corrections:
-its not an "EU health card". It is an European health insurance card
It has limitations.
If you are from country A and go live on country B, you are not supposed to permanently rely on that card as you are supposed to get a New one from country B, where you will now be paying your taxes.
It is for travelers.
Also, it is for emergency situations. Let me explain, if I am in Spain and need assistance, sure, I can use it but I can not decided to go and get a scheduled medical appointment there and use the card.
It is like health travel insurance, to use for unexpected stuff that can happen while travelling.
And of course, don't forget to get it before you live your country as if you don't, you will have to pay bills even being in the area.
@@ClemensKatzer that doesn't change the fact that a state (as in the USA) Is not a s country...
re: The UK, haven't you heard of the (effing) Brexit? And even before that, they were never part of the Shengen Area though they were (briefly) part of the EU.
How they gonna identify you?
National ID cards provided by the state. That's how.
Why would i need a passport to go on a plane?
No mention of Switzerland?
1. You need an ID for security purposes, not to get access to wherever it is you're flying to.
2. If you are an EU citizen an ID card is sufficient (after all, it's just like a domestic flight). So, no, you do NOT need a passport.
3. If you are an American traveling within the Schengen area, then yes, you need a US passport because it is the only ID that is guaranteed to be recognized.
Looks up the amount in The EU is diferente then europe. He said the population in the EU. Many think EU and Europa means the same but they are not 😁
Yeah, but as 0-level approximation it's useful. If you want to distinct USA, Europe, Asia and China, anything you say about EU or Europe becomes relatively speaking interchangeable. Heck, even things you can say about the EU "in general" is not valid for all EU countries. Some have Euro, some not. Ireland and Schengen. Bulgaria and Romania are in EU but not Schengen yet, or how was that? Are Vatican City, Monaco & Co. in the EU? Kind-of-ish.
I highly recommend the video "The European Union Explained*" by CGP Grey. "A bottomless well of asterisks." Oldie but goldie.
@@ClemensKatzer one (or some or many) of those asterisks explain about all the "overseas territories" and similar exceptions.
the info in that video is great, but should be taken with a grain of salt since it is already a bit older and doesn't always represent the current state of everything. yet a very compact and informative source of info and a good overview where to start your own research.
there is also a similar video explaining about the differences between britain, great britain, england, all their territories, etc.
This state v country definition is purely US invention. Like UK is composed of 4 countries and UK is one unitary country or state of itself. In most cases state and country can be used interchangeably. It reminds me this sovereign citizen BS about US being republic not democracy or similar nonsense...
A lot of republics around the world have states, but these are clearly not countries. For example Germany does, being a country within the EU. This is not an US invention, but just one of those things which have not been clearly defined. In different languages than English, the distinction between country and state is often even less.
@user-xi6nk4xs4s I can't see Singapore being called city-country or Germany being nation country of Germans.
Both terms can and often has the same meaning: sovereign polity and one of definitions of country literally is a sovereign state as if a country simply is one of types of state.
State can mean country just like it can be subdivision of country( just like country can be clearly subdivision of country as well).
What I'm saying is that such strict categorisation between country and state is nonsense and while both can mean different things( state of matter v country life) without prefix and in political context they can be, and are, used as each others synonym.
First American I ever heard that understand a little that American states are not countries. Well done. Now, I don't get your surprise about having more ppl in an entire continent than in an individual country. That one sounds ameri... silly. Sry
Wasn’t thinking Europe had than many people 🧐
I am Italian and i regurarly visit european countries with an ID card never used a passport.