section_path: Legal basis/The Schengen Agreement and the Schengen Convention
section_name: The Schengen Agreement and the Schengen Convention
paragraph_text: The Schengen Agreement and the Schengen Convention
  
  The Schengen Area originally had its legal basis outside the then European Economic Community, having been established by a sub-set of member states of the Community using two international agreements:
  
  On being incorporated into the main body of European Union law by the Amsterdam Treaty, the Schengen Agreement and Convention were published in the Official Journal of the European Communities by a decision of the Council of Ministers. As a result, the Agreement and Convention can be amended by regulations.