Brussels, 05/10/2007 (Agence Europe) - Nine new European Union countries will enter the Schengen Area on 21 December 2007, it was announced on Wednesday 3 October by the Portuguese EU Council Presidency. Czech, Estonian, Hungarian, Lithuanian,, Latvian, Maltese, Polish, Slovakian and Slovenian nationals will no longer be required to show their passport when crossing the Schengen Area border. Thirteen EU member states as well as Norway and Iceland are already party to the agreement. Cyprus has asked to be given one more year. Romania and Bulgaria, which entered the EU on 1 January this year, have still a way to go before they meet the security criteria required. Great Britain and Ireland have chosen to maintain border controls. (bc)