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On 31 March 2008, a ceremony marking the lifting of border checks on internal flights was held at the Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport. The lifting of air borders was the final step of the Schengen area enlargement. The ceremony was attended by many Slovenian and other distinguished guests. It was accompanied by a cultural programme with the performance by the Police Orchestra.

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Janez Janša, Slovenian Prime Minister and President of the European Council, emphasised that the lifting of border checks on internal flights meant the final act making the Schengen area complete and one of the foundations of freedom, cooperation and progress in the European Union.

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Address by Slovenian Prime Minister and President of the European Council Janez Janša 

Rui Pereira, Portuguese Minister of the Interior, said the lifting of air borders in the Schengen area was a remarkable event for the thousands of people who would experience a border-free Europe from Lisbon to Tallinn, no longer subject to border checks, in a space of common values without barriers.

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Address by Portuguese Minister of the Interior Rui Pereira 

The significance of the Schengen enlargement was also stressed by Janez Potočnik, European Commissioner responsible for Science and Research. He said the lifting of internal borders within the Schengen area was one of the tangible benefits for all the citizens of the European Union, like the euro.

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Address by Commissioner Janez Potočnik 

Zmago Skobir, President of the Management Board of Aerodrom Ljubljana, stressed that the lifting of border checks on internal flights enabled the residents of the Schengen States to become more closely connected and more easily accessible.

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Address by President of the Aerodrom Ljubljana Management Board Zmago Skobir 


Border checks on internal flights in the Schengen area were lifted one minute after midnight on 30 March 2008 when flight timetables changed.