Editing Search and rescue (section)

==3.4 Schengen Area==
Moreover, for EU member states participating in the [[Schengen Area]], there are legal obligations and responsibilities for border control and management, including responding to situations at sea that may require rescue operations.

The border-free Schengen Area guarantees free movement to more than 400 million EU citizens, along with non-EU nationals living in the EU or visiting the EU as tourists, exchange students or for business purposes (anyone legally present in the EU). Free movement of persons enables every EU citizen to travel, work and live in an EU country without special formalities. Schengen underpins this freedom by enabling citizens to move around the Schengen Area without being subject to border checks.
Today, the Schengen Area encompasses most EU countries, except for Bulgaria, Cyprus, Ireland and Romania. However, Bulgaria and Romania are currently in the process of joining the Schengen Area and already applying the Schengen acquis to a large extent. On 1 January 2023 Croatia became the newest member state to join the Schengen area. Additionally, also the non-EU States Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein have joined the Schengen Area.

<ref>{{cite web |title=Schengen Area |url=https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/policies/schengen-borders-and-visa/schengen-area_en |website=Schengen Area |access-date=20 October 2023}}</ref>