Drawing lessons from the pandemic and migration crises, the European executive presented its proposals on Tuesday, December 14, to preserve free movement within the EU. This announcement closely follows Emmanuel Macron’s presentation of the priorities for the upcoming French presidency of the EU (PFUE), among which this reform holds a prominent place. On December 9, the head of state declared his intention to make “this Schengen reform one of his priorities.”
The European executive has thus presented “a whole series of proposals to try to strengthen and, in a way, ‘repair’ the Schengen area.” In force since March 1995, this area “encompasses 22 EU countries and four non-EU countries, totaling 420 million Europeans.” Approximately 3.5 million Europeans cross a member country’s border daily.
However, free movement, called the “crown jewel” of Europe by Commissioner Margaritis Schinas, has been seriously undermined since 2015.
For her, “The proposed changes aim to promote a coordinated response to common threats.” The long-term objective? “To ensure that internal border controls remain a last-resort measure and [to help] member states manage situations where migration flows are being exploited.”
The Commission wishes to maintain “the possibility of a unilateral reintroduction of internal border controls within the EU,” but with enhanced oversight. Thus, “for unforeseeable threats: it will be possible for 30 days, extendable to three months. For foreseeable events, renewal periods can last six months.”
Except for exceptional circumstances, the total duration of controls should not exceed two years.
Another aspect of the reform addresses migration issues. It paves the way for the transfer of an “irregular migrant to the neighboring member state through which they arrived, instead of having to send them back to their country of origin, as is currently the case.” Additionally, the reform would establish “political oversight of the Schengen area, with the implementation of regular ‘Schengen forums.’”
The Commission’s proposals will now be debated by the European Parliament and the Council. However, the negotiations are expected to be challenging. An initial debate will take place during the first European Council on December 16 and 17.
As a reminder: any changes to the Schengen provisions require a qualified majority vote (15 out of 27 states representing at least 65% of the population).
