Schengen and the freedom of movement at risk?
The Schengen Area entitles every EU citizen to travel, work and live in any EU country without special formalities. Schengen cooperation enhances this freedom by enabling citizens to cross internal borders without being subjected to border checks. The border-free Schengen Area guarantees free movement to more than 400 million EU citizens, as well as to many non-EU nationals, businessmen, tourists or other persons legally present on the EU territory. This is now imperilled.
The Schengen Borders Code also provides Member States with the capability of temporarily reintroducing border control at the internal borders in the event that a serious threat to public policy or internal security has been established. However, it much remain an exception and must respect the principle of proportionality. The scope and duration of such a temporary reintroduction of border control at the internal borders is limited in time and should be restricted to the bare minimum needed to respond to the threat in question. Reintroducing border control at the internal border should only ever be used as a measure of last resort. At the moment, 7 Schengen countries reintroduced border controls.
Panel’s participants
- Tilmann Hartung (Chair, JEF Germany)
- Monika Elend (JEF Denmark)
- Svetlana Siljanoska (JEF Macedonia)
- Willys Taing (JEF France)
- Silvia Crocitta (EuroDemos Youth Mobility NGO / EDYM)
- Thomas Rave (JEF Germany)
- Antonio Argenziano (JEF Italy)
