On Friday 11 November, the Council of the EU adopted, without discussion, the proposal of the European Commission to extend by three months the controls at the internal borders of the Schengen free movement area, as currently operated by five countries, four of which are EU member states.
Germany, Austria, Sweden, Denmark and Norway will therefore be able to continue the checks they brought in at the end of 2015 in the wake of the migration crisis on the Western Balkans route (see EUROPE 11475 and 11446).
These temporary controls will, however, be strictly governed, requiring the countries in question to report on the situation on their borders every month. The aim is to return to the normal functioning of the Schengen zone as soon as possible, the Slovak minister for the interior, Robert Kalinak, said in a press release.
At the end of October, the Commission, which had been called upon to give its view on extending these controls (see EUROPE 11654), said that the situation was still delicate on the migration route of the Western Balkans and in Greece. Risks of secondary movements cannot be ruled out, it added.
Under the recommendation adopted on Friday, the countries concerned must first see whether there are any other measures as an alternative to internal controls, which must be used as a last resort, a Council press release states.
Greece opposes extension of controls, Hungary abstains
Hungary, which is concerned by the controls carried out by Austria, said in a statement that it feels the measures are inappropriate and could jeopardise the existence of the Schengen zone. It argues that the figures submitted by the five requesting countries are not enough to justify the decision and that the Commission's own report fails to provide facts that can justify the controls.
The three-month extension concerns the following measures: - Austria: controls on the land borders with Hungary and Slovenia; - Germany: controls on the land border with Austria; - Denmark: controls in the Danish ports operating ferry connections to Germany, and on the land border with Germany; - Sweden: controls in the Swedish ports located in the South and West police regions, and on the Öresund Bridge; and Norway: controls in the Norwegian ports operating ferry connections with Denmark, Germany and Sweden. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)