As reported by an official representative of the European Commission, the Swiss Confederation will be able to join Schengen on November 1, 2008. In the coming months, technical experts from the European Commission will visit Switzerland and present a final assessment of the country's readiness to join the visa-free area.
Joining the Schengen zone involves the abolition of border controls and accession to the unified police database of the Schengen area.
Recall that at the end of 2007, 9 countries immediately joined the visa-free Schengen zone. On December 21, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia and Malta entered Schengen.