New Europeans ready to join Schengen passport-free zone - Main contents

Member states from central and eastern Europe have passed the technical tests necessary to get the green light for joining the bloc's Schengen borderless area without further delays early next year.

Despite previous problems in some countries, eight states have successfully set up the necessary equipment to join the Schengen's central database with information shared by police and border officials.

There is a separate procedure for Malta and Cyprus.

"We're very delighted about this," Manuel Carvalho from the Portuguese presidency told the Polish PAP agency, confirming the positive development.

Already before the summer break, diplomats also suggested that the EU's inspections of the external borders - set to be managed by these countries - had proved there is a sufficient control on the ground.

The two provisions - a functioning information system and a secure external border - were the final conditions imposed by the European Commission and the member countries of the Schengen area for the lifting border controls from the citizens from central and eastern Europe.

The plan is - after final political confirmation by EU ministers and leaders in the coming months - to stop border checks on land starting by 31 December this year and at airports by 29 March 2008.

Some states, like Austria, have hinted they could ask for a short provisional period before they fully lift controls.

Moreover, several "old" Schengen countries earlier came across problems with the newest version of the information system - to be put in place in a bid to provide for the new countries to join in.

But European Commission officials suggested such tests were carried out exactly so that possible technical shortcomings are tackled and that they should not have any effect on the projected date of the Schengen zone's enlargement.

Portugal's plan proves big success

It is also positive news for Portugal which championed the process.

Around this time last year, there were strong concerns over the timetable and whether it would be delayed caused by backlogs in the completion of a central database.

The database is designed to store and provide data on people or stolen cars, it is available to police and border officials across the bloc.

Instead Lisbon suggested that the new countries could join the existing database before the new and more modern one is finalised - a plan that was eventually accepted.

At the moment, thirteen EU member states (excluding Britain and Ireland), plus Norway and Iceland are part of the Schengen zone.