5 Countries Agree to Lift Controls at Borders

SCHENGEN, Luxembourg —  Five European Community nations on Tuesday signed an accord that will end border checks for their nationals, apply a joint visa and asylum policy and share data on illegal aliens, suspected criminals and missing persons.

The long-awaited accord between Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, France and West Germany was hailed as an example for a no-borders pact among all 12 European Community nations.

“Our agreement is a model . . . for the free movement of people in the community,” Dutch Deputy Foreign Minister Piet Dankert told reporters on behalf of the signatory nations.

The five-nation pact will be extended to include East Germany after its expected merger this year with the Federal Republic, making it the first international treaty viewing East and West Germany as a single entity.

Negotiations are to open this week with Italy, which wants to join the Schengen accord, named for this village on the Luxembourg-German-French border where it was signed.

The accord, in the works since 1985, must be ratified by the national parliaments to take effect. Ratification may take two years.

Under the accord, the five signatory nations will:

Remove internal border checks for their citizens and legal residents and let legally admitted people from outside the five nations move within their boundaries for three months without a visa.

Apply a joint policy to prevent “asylum shopping,” whereby refugees go from one nation to the next to get residency visas.

Intensify cooperation between police and justice officials and allow police to chase suspected criminals across national boundaries.

Simplify extradition procedures and harmonize gun-control legislation.

Share information on people wanted or missing or who are considered dangerous. Such a data bank will also keep tabs on such items as stolen cars and passports.