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The Schengen area wants to be reformed
The Schengen Forum will be attended by MEPs, representatives of the interior ministries of the EU member states and other national authorities.
The European Commission is organizing the first Schengen Forum under the new EU Immigration and Asylum Pact. It will run until the beginning of December. EC spokesman Christian Wiegand said this, Interfax reports on Friday, November 6.
“The Schengen area is one of the greatest achievements of the European Union. It is in our common interest to preserve the integrity and proper functioning of the Schengen area without controls at its internal borders,” he told a briefing in Brussels. “However, in recent years, after repeated crises, the Schengen area has come under increasing strain.”
The EC spokesperson responded to a question about Brussels’ reaction to French President Emmanuel Macron’s announcement on 5 November to double the forces responsible for border control with the EU’s neighbors, due to the threat of terrorist attacks and illegal immigration. Macron called on the EU to “fully recreate its Schengen area.”
Wiegand said the forum will determine guidelines for reforming the Schengen area. This meeting will be attended by European deputies, representatives of the ministries of the interior of the EU member states and other national authorities.
He mentioned the main elements of the future strategy for the Schengen area. These include strengthening the control and management of external borders, strengthening cooperation and improving the exchange of information, especially police information, between the authorities of the EU member states, an interconnected European border management system , increased support from relevant EU agencies and better implementation of decisions.
On the eve, French President Emmanuel Macron called for a revision of Schengen rules to strengthen the protection of the EU’s external borders.
This call comes after the recent terrorist attacks in France and Austria.
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