Member States cannot force bus operators to check passengers' passports and residence permits before crossing a national border within the Schengen area, the European Court of Justice confirmed on Thursday 13 December in cases C-412/17 and C-474/17, endorsing the Advocate General's conclusions of 6 September (see EUROPE 12090).
According to them, "such controls have an effect equivalent to that of border checks and are therefore prohibited". Consequently, States may not adopt...