At the Council of Interior Ministers on Friday 18 November, EU Security Commissioner Julian King called for the European co-legislators to speed up their work in order to reach agreement this year on key counter-terror measures – particularly the firearms directive and reform of the Schengen Borders Code to introduce systematic controls of all travellers, including those with Schengen passports, at the EU’s external borders.
The British commissioner also mentioned the counter-terror directive that will criminalise, throughout the EU, help in preparing acts of terror. This is expected to be passed by the end of the year since preliminary agreement was reached by negotiators in Thursday 17 November, the commissioner stated.
Things are not so simple for the firearms directive unveiled in November 2015 (see other article) or for the Schengen Borders Code – a proposal adopted at the Council a year ago but in deadlock at the European Parliament.
A diplomatic source explained on Friday that talks were in deadlock over the problems that systematic controls could cause in terms of logistics for some airports. The Parliament wants derogations, but the Council only seems open to transition periods to give time for airports to obtain the necessary investment. The source said the controls had to be operational at the start of 2017 and transition periods could last six months, with maybe a few extra months, but no more than that.
Slovak Interior Minister Robert Kalinak hoped that countries would make rapid progress on the European PNR, and would speed up transposition of this, ideally within the 2018 deadline. This, he said, would give a signal of Europe’s motivation to fight the terror threat and boost security. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)