Negotiators of the European Parliament and the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU were unable to hold their trilogue meeting on Tuesday 12 February on the new Schengen Borders Code rules proposed in September 2017 (see EUROPE 11881), which should allow Member States to restore temporary controls at internal borders under new circumstances.
The European Parliament and the Romanian Presidency met on 31 January for a meeting at which Parliament expressed its willingness to waive some of its requirements in exchange for new guarantees (see EUROPE 12184).
The ambassadors were then to approve this direction taken in the negotiations at their meeting on 6 February, but in a letter dated 8 February and forwarded to the office of the Slovenian rapporteur, Tanja Fajon (S&D), the Romanian Presidency indicated that it had not obtained the support of a sufficient number of Member States. She informed Parliament that she would not be able to conduct this new meeting, but offered to meet again if it considered it "necessary".
On 6 February, several countries indicated that they were not in a position to go beyond the mandate adopted in June, confirmed one source (see EUROPE 12044). It is now up to the Romanian Presidency to say how it intends to proceed with this reform, while the rapporteur's entourage is now wondering whether these new rules can be validated before the end of the legislature. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)