External border of the European Union

Map of the European Union Map of the EU, including all special territories. The Outermost Regions in blue are considered part of the EU's external borders.

The border of the European Union consists of the land borders that member states of the EU share with non-EU states adjacent to the union. The EU shares land borders with 21 countries and 3 dependencies.

## List

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The lengths of the borders the European Union and the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs)[a] share with different countries and territories are listed below. Maritime borders are not included.

### Countries and dependencies bordering the EU

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Country / Dependency  | Length[1] | Member states  | Notes

|
|
|

Akrotiri and Dhekelia (U.K.) | 156 km (97 mi)  | Cyprus | Open border
Albania | 212 km (132 mi)  | Greece |
Andorra | 118 km (73 mi)  | Spain and France | Open border
Belarus | 1,176 km (731 mi)  | Latvia, Lithuania and Poland |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | 956 km (594 mi)  | Croatia |
Brazil | 649 km (403 mi)  | France | The border is located in French Guiana
Gibraltar (U.K.) | 1.2 km (0.75 mi)  | Spain |
Liechtenstein | 34 km (21 mi)  | Austria | Open border through Schengen
Morocco | 18.5 km (11.5 mi)  | Spain | The border is located in Ceuta and Melilla
Moldova | 683 km (424 mi)  | Romania |
Monaco | 6 km (3.7 mi)  | France | Open border
Montenegro | 19 km (12 mi)  | Croatia |
North Macedonia | 396 km (246 mi)  | Bulgaria and Greece |
Norway | 2,375 km (1,476 mi)  | Finland and Sweden | Open border through Schengen
Russia | 2,435 km (1,513 mi)  | Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland |
San Marino | 37 km (23 mi)  | Italy | Open border
Serbia | 1,353 km (841 mi)  | Bulgaria, Hungary, Croatia and Romania |
Sint Maarten (Kingdom of the Netherlands)[b] | 16 km (9.9 mi)  | France | Open border; located in Saint Martin
Suriname | 556 km (345 mi)  | France | The border is located in French Guiana
Switzerland | 1,729 km (1,074 mi)  | Germany, Austria, France and Italy | Open border through Schengen
Turkey | 415 km (258 mi)  | Bulgaria and Greece |
Ukraine | 1,324 km (823 mi)  | Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia |
United Kingdom | 499 km (310 mi)  | Ireland and France[c] | Open border with Ireland through the Common Travel Area
Vatican City | 3.5 km (2.2 mi)  | Italy | Open border

### Countries and dependencies bordering Overseas Countries and Territories

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Country / Dependency  | Length  | OCTs  | Notes

|
|
|

Canada | 1,280 m (4,200 ft)  | Greenland (Kingdom of Denmark) | Located in Hans island
Australian Antarctic Territory (Australia) | N/A  | French Southern and Antarctic Lands (France) | Located in Antarctica. Most countries do not recognize Antarctic territorial claims
British Antarctic Territory (U.K.)
Queen Maud Land (Norway)
Ross Dependency (New Zealand)
Argentine Antarctica (Argentina)
Chilean Antarctic Territory (Chile)

### Disputed territory

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Further information: Cyprus problem

The northern part of Cyprus is legally part of the EU, but law is suspended due to it being under the control of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, a self-proclaimed de facto state which is recognized only by Turkey. The two entities are separated by the United Nations Buffer Zone in Cyprus, which serves as a de facto boundary between them.

## Border status and cooperation

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In 2004 the European Union developed the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) for the promotion of cooperation between the EU and its neighbours to the east and south of the European territory of the EU (i.e., excluding its outermost regions outside of Europe),[2] which, in part, includes the Cross-Border Cooperation programme aimed at the promotion of economic development in border areas and ensuring border security.[3]

## External border control

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The Border and Coast Guard Agency, more commonly known as Frontex, was established in 2004. Its main task is external border control of the Schengen Area. Most of its activities are coordinated with the coast and border guards of member states.

## See also

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* Schengen Area
* Frontex

## References

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1. ^ The Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) are not part of the EU but they are associated with it. They depend to varying degrees on the Member States which have sovereignity over them.
2. ^ Unlike the French side of the island, Sint Maarten is not part of the EU. It is among the Overseas Countries and Territories of the EU.
3. ^ The Channel Tunnel links the two countries underground and is defined as a 'land frontier', but it is not widely recognised as a land border.

## External links

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* Grigore Silaşi, Ovidiu Laurian Simina (eds.), Migration, Mobility and Human Rights at the Eastern Border of the European Union: Space of Freedom and Security, 2008, Editura Universităţii de Vest, ISBN 978-973-125-160-8

1. ^ The World Factbook
2. ^ What is the European Neighbourhood Policy?
3. ^ "The new European Neighbourhood Instrument: providing increased support to the EU's partners". Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2015-03-14.