(BRUSSELS) - European Union interior ministers gave final approval Thursday to eight central European states and Malta to join Europe's border-free Schengen area on December 21.

The ministers had endorsed the decision last month, but had to await parliamentary approval before taking the final legal step to abolish border controls with the countries.

The nine -- the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia -- will bring to 24 the number of nations in the so-called Schengen area when their land and maritime borders are opened.

"It's the end of a process that began with the fall of the Berlin Wall 18 years ago," said German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble.

They will join the 15 current signatories of the Schengen Treaty -- the 15 oldest EU members minus Britain and Ireland plus non-EU nations Norway and Iceland.

Passport controls and obligatory security checks are set to end at airports in the newcomer states from the end of March next year.

Justice and Home Affairs Council (JHA), 6-7 Dec 2007

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