The European Commission alongside Member States and MEPs will launch an in-depth reflection on how to improve the Schengen area and better prepare it for crises, such as the Covid-19 crisis, which saw Member States unilaterally re-establishing measures at their borders.
However, it has "not yet decided" what form this reflection will take and whether it should lead to a legislative amendment or an enhancement of what already exists in the Schengen Code.
This is what Monique Pariat, Director General of DG Migration and Home Affairs (DG HOME), told members of the European Parliament's Committee on Civil Liberties, (LIBE) on Monday 6 July, who wanted to hear her views on the state of the free movement area's health.
While the Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, seemed more committed in April to a reform of the Schengen area (see EUROPE 12482/16), the director general only confirmed the need for a reflection that could go over "an amendment" of the Schengen Code or a "better use of what is already in the code", i.e. alternatives to the control measures carried out directly at the internal borders. Checks could, for example, take place more within the territory of the Member States and not necessarily at the border.
This reflection will in any case be part of the 'Pact on Asylum and Migration' expected in September. As regards Schengen, the Pact should help to "restore confidence between Member States", Ms Pariat insisted.
MEPs wanted to know how the Member States were acting as the Commission asked on 11 June that all their internal measures be lifted by 1 July. Most of them have notified the end of these temporary measures, but a few Member States (Finland, Denmark and Lithuania, according to the DG HOME website) are still applying controls for health reasons.
Ms Pariat also recalled that six countries have also requested the extension of internal controls put in place in the wake of the migration crisis and the attacks of 2015.
These are France, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Austria and Norway, which will carry out these checks in connection with secondary migration movements or terrorism at least until mid-November, thanks to extensions provided for in the Schengen Code.
"We continue to encourage alternatives", she said.
Some MEPs were critical of the fact that not all Member States are applying the same criteria in deciding whether to open their internal borders. Paulo Rangel (EPP, Portugal) referred to the case of his country, which is not yet allowing Portuguese residents to go to all Schengen countries.
The Romanian MEP for Renew Europe Dragoș Tudorache, meanwhile, criticised the maintenance of controls in relation to migration and terrorism. Birgit Sippel (S&D, Germany) said it would be useful to present "a new governance package for the Schengen area". (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)