Brussels, 02/12/2011 (Agence Europe) - In a speech in Toulon (France) on Thursday 1 December, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said that he wanted to see changes to the Schengen area (where some Europeans can travel without a passport), saying the idea needed a re-think. The speech was aimed at paving the way for future Franco-German proposals for the eurozone and changes to the EU Treaty, and the French president said that a Europe that has free movement of individuals within its borders without controlling what goes on outside its borders cannot continue.
Sarkozy's views were expressed after the European Commission unveiled planned changes on 16 September 2011 to the way the Schengen area is managed. The Commission suggest stronger external border control and the reintroduction of internal border controls in exceptional circumstances after the European Commission gives the go-ahead.
EU Commissioner Cecilia Malmström said on Friday 2 December that the French president had simply repeated what he's already said, and his view that there were failings in the Schengen system was shared by several member states and was precisely why the Commission had unveiled its suggestions in September. Some sources say that Sarkozy's speech can be interpreted as suggesting that the Commission's ideas do not go far enough or are unsatisfactory and other ways of strengthening the Schengen area may be required. (SP/transl.fl)