section_path: European microstates
section_name: European microstates
paragraph_text: European microstates
  
  Four European microstates — Andorra, Monaco, San Marino and the Vatican City — are not officially part of the Schengen Area, but are considered de facto within the Schengen Area, as they have open or semi-open borders and do not conduct systematic border controls with the Schengen countries that surround them. Some national laws have the text "countries against which border control is not performed based on the Schengen Agreement and the 562/2006 EU regulation", which then includes the microstates and other non-EU areas with open borders.
  
  In 2015, Andorra, Monaco and San Marino began negotiating an Association Agreement with the EU. Monaco left the negotiations in 2023, while an agreement for Andorra and San Marino was expected to be concluded in 2024. Andorra's ambassador to Spain, Jaume Gaytán, stated in 2015 that he hoped that the agreement would include provisions to make the states associate members of the Schengen Agreement. However, the final text only concerned free movement of people and not border control issues. However, on 30 May 2024, the Council of the European Union authorised the opening of negotiations for agreements between the European Union and Andorra and San Marino, respectively, in order to create a legal basis for the absence of border controls between these countries and the Schengen area.