Luxembourg, 26/04/2012 (Agence Europe) - The Franco-German proposals - which are controversial as they were presented, on 19 April, with the French electoral campaign in full swing - on strengthening the Schengen area and on the possibility of bringing back internal border controls for a 30-day period, were discussed on Thursday 26 April by home ministers meeting in Luxembourg. The proposals even received the support of several countries, such as Austria and Hungary. Other countries, however, such as Belgium, Italy and Portugal, were more reticent. Joëlle Milquet of Belgium even complained that the meeting and the area of free movement were being used as a means to an end for the French presidential campaign.
On 19 April, the French and German home affairs ministers, Claude Guéant and Hans-Peter Friedrich, sent a joint letter to the Danish Presidency of the EU Council of Ministers in which they call for member states to be allowed to restore internal border controls in the event of another member state failing to manage its borders correctly, with the result that illegal migrants enter it unhindered before entering the other Schengen countries. According to the two ministers' plans, this reintroduction of controls, if validated, could be for a 30-day duration without European authorisation. After that time, should any member state wish to extend control measures to its internal borders, a decision could be made at the level of the Council, with the Commission responsible for drafting a proposal.
Although some countries, like Austria, however, expressed their “unreserved” support for this kind of decision, others were less keen, like Sweden, which is not opposed to the principle of controls but wishes for them to depend on a Council decision more rapidly, a source said. Sweden was not alone in wanting the reintroduction of controls advocated by other member states to be the subject of an EU27 decision from the very first days, although France and Germany want a 30-day period. Belgium, Luxembourg, Italy and Portugal also fear decisions may be too unilateral and do not want internal border controls to be decided simply to please public opinion or pander to the public.
During a press conference, the French minister, Claude Guéant, who was under fire of criticism, wished to point out that France remained keen on free movement and on this “major acquis”, denying that it advocated anything that would weaken the area of free movement. However, he went on, “we have to know what we really want', and acquire the means to set up an area of free movement that “works satisfactorily”. Guéant above all said that 400,000 people enter the Schengen area illegally each year.
No decision was to be taken in Luxembourg on Thursday and the subject of Schengen governance was not officially on the agenda. Also, although member states are now all more or less in agreement that the European Commission should be refused the role of “decision-maker” and that the reintroduction of border controls should be a decision taken by the states alone, discussion is still needed on the arrangements for returns at borders or the practical role to be given to the Commission in this process. The idea of the Danish Presidency is at any rate to reach agreement between the 27 member states by the end of its term of office, especially during the next Council of home affairs ministers scheduled for June. It will then be necessary to take the matter up for discussion with the European Parliament. On Wednesday 25 April, in Brussels, the civil liberties committee adopted its report on this subject. According to MEPs, member states will have the right to bring controls back at their borders as a last resort for a maximum of 10 days should there be a threat to their security. MEPs did not consider that migratory pressure justified bringing back controls. (SP/transl.jl)