The European Commission has presented a new strategy to open the world's largest space for free travel – the Schengen area – stronger, safer and more resilient. This strategy aims at better management of the EU's external borders, internal strengthening of the Schengen area, improving preparedness & management structure and expansion to all EU countries.
More than 420 million people live in the Schengen area, spread over 27 countries. The abolition of internal border controls between the Schengen countries is an integral part of the European way of life: almost 1,7 million people live in one Schengen country and work in another. The residents have built their lives around the freedoms offered by the Schengen area: every day 3,5 million people travel between Schengen countries.
History of the Schengen Area
More than 36 years ago, five Member States agreed to abolish controls at their mutual borders. Today, 26 European states are part of the Schengen area without internal border controls. The Schengen area consists of all EU countries except Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Cyprus and Ireland. It also includes four non-EU countries: Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
Free movement important for recovery after the corona crisis
The free movement of people, goods and services is at the heart of the European Union and essential for Europe's recovery from the crisis caused by the coronavirus. With the new strategy, the Commission takes stock of the challenges the Schengen area has faced in recent years and charts a way forward that reaps the benefits of Schengen be preserved. Common action is needed at Union level to enable EU countries to meet the current challenges.
Pillars of the Schengen Area
The proper functioning of the Schengen area rests on three pillars: effective management of the EU's external borders, strengthening internal measures to compensate for the lack of internal border controls (particularly in the areas of police cooperation, security and migration management ) and the guarantee of decisiveness and good governance, including the completion of Schengen. To promote mutual trust in the implementation of the Schengen rules, the Commission also presented a voorstel revising the Schengen evaluation and monitoring mechanism.
Strategy objectives:
- Ensure effective management of the EU's external borders through the European Border and Coast Guard standing corps that is currently taking shape, by making the information systems for border and migration management interoperable by 2023, and with a proposal to be presented soon for the digitalisation of visa applications and travel documents. The Commission also calls on the co-legislators to swiftly adopt the proposal on the screening of persons crossing the border without authorisation, which is part of the new Pact on Migration and Asylum.
- Strengthen the Schengen area internally, as close cooperation between Member States in preventing and countering threats to security is essential to maintain and compensate for the absence of internal border controls. The new initiatives include an EU code for police cooperation, an improved “Prüm framework” for the exchange of information on DNA, fingerprints and vehicle registration, and an extension of the use of pre-issued passenger information to flights within the Schengen area. The new Pact on Migration and Asylum, once adopted, will also provide for a common approach to migration management, an aspect that is important for the proper functioning of the Schengen area.
- Improving preparedness and governance: the Commission is proposing one today revision of the Schengen evaluation and monitoring mechanism (see below). It will also convene regular Schengen Forums to promote political dialogue on common issues on the basis of the annual reports on the state of Schengen. Later this year, the Commission will present a proposal to revise the Schengen Borders Code with the aim of making Schengen more resilient to serious threats. In doing so, it will ensure close coordination and ensure that the reintroduction of internal border controls remains a last resort. The Commission will also present a contingency plan to reactivate the successful system of “green lanes” for uninterrupted freight traffic in case of future crises. Finally, the Commission will engage with Member States on the long-term reintroduction of internal border controls.
- Expanding the Schengen Area: the future of Schengen must revolve around enlargement to include EU Member States that do not yet belong to the Schengen area. This is both a legitimate expectation and a legal obligation for those countries deemed ready to join.
Source: European Union – publication date: June 7, 2021 – No rights can be derived from this article.
Related Topics:
