Brussels, 19/04/2012 (Agence Europe) - Only a few days before the EU Home Affairs Council, scheduled to be held Luxembourg on 26 April, the French and German ministers, Claude Guéant and Hans-Peter Friedrich, have drafted a joint letter calling for governance of the Schengen area to be put at the heart of discussions and also decision-making to be speeded up.
Though Schengen does not feature officially on the agenda, the two hope, nonetheless, to be able to discuss the matter with their colleagues, they write in their letter. They want to try to forge a compromise on the issue which has not, so far, moved in the way member states would like, says a French source, flatly rejecting any link with the French presidential election, in which first round voting will take place on Sunday 22 April, and the president who is standing for re-election and who has made strengthening Schengen one of the planks of his campaign.
In the letter sent to the Danish Presidency of the EU Council of Ministers, the two say the aim is to take things forward, the source says, and put new ideas on the table. They note their opposition to the projects, brought forward by the European Commission in September, which invested the Commission with far too much power. In June 2011, the member states asked the Commission to consider safeguard mechanisms and the possibilities for reinstating internal border controls in certain conditions, for example, in the event of a massive migratory flow. The Commission, say Guéant and Friedrich, seized the opportunity “to grant itself the right to decide on the temporary re-establishment of border control in the event of threats to security and public order” (for example, when there is a threat of a terrorist attack or the need to ensure safety and security at major sporting or political events). This is a power currently reserved to member states, the two say, and there is no question of that being changed. Observance of national sovereignty “is a non-negotiable point”.
The two ministers suggest a mechanism whereby member states themselves could decide to reinstate controls for a period of 30 days, after which time, it would be for the Commission to recommend to the Council whether or not to continue with the internal border controls. The decision itself would be for the Council to take, the two state. The Commission, which proposed in September to take charge after five days, had still to receive a copy of the letter on Thursday afternoon. It promised, however, to read carefully the Franco-German proposals, pointing out that things were taking their course and that this issue is due to be officially discussed in June. (SP/transl.rt)