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External border of the European Union

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Map of the European Union
Map of the EU, including all special territories. The Outermost Regions in blue are considered part of the EU's external borders.

The border of the European Union consists of the land borders that member states of the EU share with non-EU states adjacent to the union. The EU shares land borders with 21 countries and 3 dependencies.

List

The lengths of the borders the European Union and the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) share with different countries and territories are listed below. Maritime borders are not included.

Countries and dependencies bordering the EU

Country / Dependency Length Member states Notes
 Akrotiri and Dhekelia (U.K.) 156 km (97 mi) Cyprus Open border
 Albania 212 km (132 mi) Greece
 Andorra 118 km (73 mi) Spain and France Open border
 Belarus 1,176 km (731 mi) Latvia, Lithuania and Poland
 Bosnia and Herzegovina 956 km (594 mi) Croatia
 Brazil 649 km (403 mi) France The border is located in French Guiana
 Gibraltar (U.K.) 1.2 km (0.75 mi) Spain
 Liechtenstein 34 km (21 mi) Austria Open border through Schengen
 Morocco 18.5 km (11.5 mi) Spain The border is located in Ceuta and Melilla
 Moldova 683 km (424 mi) Romania
 Monaco 6 km (3.7 mi) France Open border
 Montenegro 19 km (12 mi) Croatia
 North Macedonia 396 km (246 mi) Bulgaria and Greece
 Norway 2,375 km (1,476 mi) Finland and Sweden Open border through Schengen
 Russia 2,435 km (1,513 mi) Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland
 San Marino 37 km (23 mi) Italy Open border
 Serbia 1,353 km (841 mi) Bulgaria, Hungary, Croatia and Romania
 Sint Maarten (Kingdom of the Netherlands) 16 km (9.9 mi) France Open border; located in Saint Martin
 Suriname 556 km (345 mi) France The border is located in French Guiana
  Switzerland 1,729 km (1,074 mi) Germany, Austria, France and Italy Open border through Schengen
 Turkey 415 km (258 mi) Bulgaria and Greece
 Ukraine 1,324 km (823 mi) Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia
 United Kingdom 499 km (310 mi) Ireland and France Open border with Ireland through the Common Travel Area
 Vatican City 3.5 km (2.2 mi) Italy Open border

Countries and dependencies bordering Overseas Countries and Territories

Country / Dependency Length OCTs Notes
 Canada 1,280 m (4,200 ft) Greenland (Kingdom of Denmark) Located in Hans island
 Australian Antarctic Territory (Australia) N/A French Southern and Antarctic Lands (France) Located in Antarctica. Most countries do not recognize Antarctic territorial claims
 British Antarctic Territory (U.K.)
 Queen Maud Land (Norway)
 Ross Dependency (New Zealand)
 Argentine Antarctica (Argentina)
 Chilean Antarctic Territory (Chile)

Disputed territory

Further information: Cyprus problem

The northern part of Cyprus is legally part of the EU, but law is suspended due to it being under the control of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, a self-proclaimed de facto state which is recognized only by Turkey. The two entities are separated by the United Nations Buffer Zone in Cyprus, which serves as a de facto boundary between them.

Border status and cooperation

In 2004 the European Union developed the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) for the promotion of cooperation between the EU and its neighbours to the east and south of the European territory of the EU (i.e., excluding its outermost regions outside of Europe), which, in part, includes the Cross-Border Cooperation programme aimed at the promotion of economic development in border areas and ensuring border security.

External border control

The Border and Coast Guard Agency, more commonly known as Frontex, was established in 2004. Its main task is external border control of the Schengen Area. Most of its activities are coordinated with the coast and border guards of member states.

See also

References

  1. The Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) are not part of the EU but they are associated with it. They depend to varying degrees on the Member States which have sovereignty over them.
  2. Unlike the French side of the island, Sint Maarten is not part of the EU. It is among the Overseas Countries and Territories of the EU.
  3. The Channel Tunnel links the two countries underground and is defined as a 'land frontier', but it is not widely recognised as a land border.

External links

  1. The World Factbook
  2. What is the European Neighbourhood Policy?
  3. "The new European Neighbourhood Instrument: providing increased support to the EU's partners". Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2015-03-14.
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