Brussels, 19/04/2011 (Agence Europe) - Three members of the EPP Group, Simon Busuttil, Salvatore Iacolino and Véronique Mathieu, took position in a press release dated Tuesday 19 April about current tension between Rome and Paris over Tunisian migrants, stating that “the recent influx of migrants from North Africa shows more than ever that a common European approach on immigration is necessary” otherwise “the member states end up trying to shed their responsibilities and pointing fingers at each other without getting any closer to a true solution”.
“We believe that Italy and France have to cooperate in order to ensure a balanced implementation of the Schengen Convention”, the MEPs add, pointing out that Schengen is “a milestone in European integration” and they call on the two countries to “find a common solution so as to have a fair implementation of the conditions for travelling in the Schengen area for a third country national holding a provisional residence permit and a valid travel document”.
Italy and France have been at loggerheads for some 10 days over the interpretation of the Schengen rules, after Italy started to issue temporary residence permits and travel documents to a number of Tunisian migrants who have arrived on its territory. France, in the border area with Italy, and Belgium, in certain points, have already tightened up their police controls.
On Monday 18 April, the competent commissioner, Cécilia Malmström, reiterated the importance of Schengen, stating that it is not the “end” of the free-movement area and that it would be “dangerous” to jeopardise it. However, the commissioner acknowledged that there could be “problems” within Schengen and that these needed to be discussed, “without calling the whole of the system into question”.
In proposals on migration which the commissioner is to put to the home affairs ministers on 12 May, then to the European summit in June, some countries, such as France and Germany, would like to see clear suggestions to reinforce Schengen and strengthen it against crises, particularly by bringing in a mechanism to “suspend” the Schengen rules and potentially to bring back controls on borders judged to be problematic.
This issue is to be discussed on Wednesday 20 April by the college of commissioners, which will hold a guideline debate on the proposals, possibly in the form of a “package”, to be presented by the Commission in May (at this stage, 24 May), and then in June to the heads of state and government. This discussion will focus on ways of improving the Schengen system and reinforcing it to resolve timely problems detected and, as Antonio Tajani was quoted by the Italian media as saying, on the role of the Commission in the event that the Schengen rules are suspended. (S.P./transl.fl)