Travelling without borders: Commission proposes stronger monitoring of respect of Schengen rules

In the EU, citizens can travel without border controls within the Schengen area. But obstacles to the free movement, such as maintenance of obstacles to fluid traffic flow at road crossing-points at internal borders, remain because Schengen rules are not always correctly applied by the Member States. That is why the Commission wants to verify more closely the respect of the Schengen rules. A new proposal adopted today by the Commission seeks to strengthen the mechanism for evaluating the correct application of the Schengen rules in the Member States. It will allow the Commission to better verify the relevant legislation on the abolition of controls at internal borders and to do more effective checks within national territory.

Commissioner Cecilia Malmström, responsible for Home Affairs, highlighted that: "The Schengen area gives people the possibility to travel without border controls. But in order for the system to work, efficient application of all Schengen provisions and a high degree of mutual trust among the actors are essential. Only if the Schengen rules and regulations are applied effectively, consistently and in a transparent manner by the Member States can European citizens fully benefit from the free movement."

A specific evaluation mechanism is necessary to ensure both mutual trust between Member States and the capacity to effectively and efficiently apply all Schengen provisions. The evaluation mechanism sets up transparent, efficient and clear rules on the method to be applied for the evaluations. In particular, the evaluation should pay attention to the respect of fundamental rights when applying the Schengen acquis. The proposal covers all parts of the Schengen cooperation, in particular external borders, visa policy, police cooperation and the Schengen Information System.

The new mechanism enhances the current system of periodic on-the-spot inspections in the Member States and introduces unannounced visits to ensure that Schengen rules are applied correctly at all times. The proposal introduces multiannual evaluation programmes for the on-site visits and provides clear rules for the follow-up to the findings of the evaluations.

The revised mechanism reflects the changes in the legal situation after the integration of the Schengen rules into the framework of the EU and the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty. The European Parliament and the Council will decide together on this proposal.

News source: EU Press Room link: article