Brussels, 12/05/2011 (Agence Europe) - The announcement made by the Danish authorities of their plan to restore customs controls in a number of border areas with Germany and Sweden gave rise to indignation at the European Parliament and triggered an outpouring of concern. European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek, cited by AFP, said they must not destroy the Schengen area. He underlined that freedom of movement is probably the aspect of the EU that is most appreciated by Europeans.
EPP President Joseph Daul of France also published a press release condemning Denmark's attitude, considering it “unacceptable to reintroduce permanent border controls”. “It is impossible to build Europe on national egoism”, he said, adding that, “if Denmark wants to question the consensus in Europe on this matter, then it should leave the Schengen agreement, in which case Danish citizens would rapidly feel the disadvantages”.
ALDE President Guy Verhofstadt “deeply regretted” the decision. He felt the “risk of public disorder cannot be prevented effectively by purely national border measures”, and called for a “European approach” to the question. S&D leader Martin Schulz called on the Danish government to await the European Commission's assessment before taking new measures.
On Thursday morning, the Danish minister for integration was to meet his counterparts in Brussels during a meeting of home ministers devoted largely to strengthening the Schengen area. He assured them it was not a matter of police checks and checks on persons and that this decision was fully in line with the Schengen agreements. The European Commission nonetheless announced that it would study the announcement and assess whether it were truly in line with the Schengen rules. (S.P./transl.jl)