On Thursday 13 January, MEPs heard the report by Swedish MEP Sara Skyttedal (EPP) on the reform of the Schengen evaluation mechanism, a reform on which the European Parliament is only consulted.
While the EU Council asked the European Parliament to speed up its position in order to make progress itself (see EUROPE 12850/2), the report presented in the European Parliament Committee on Civil Liberties was generally welcomed, although the Greens/EFA group, together with Tineke Strik from the Netherlands, felt that it weakened the Commission’s initial proposal with regard to taking into account reports by NGOs or third parties on the state of Schengen, especially at the external borders.
“It is also essential that third party reports are taken into account”, said the Dutch MEP, who felt that Skyttedal had “watered down” the Commission’s text by making the taking of third party evidence into account optional.
For Tineke Strik, these reports, as well as those of NGOs and the UN, are crucial for finding out what is happening at the external borders.
Other elected representatives insisted on the need for strict monitoring when dysfunctions are identified.
Socialist MEP Bettina Vollath (Austria), for her part, highlighted that unannounced inspections to check how Member States comply with the Schengen acquis play “a key role”.
The draft report does not foresee advance notice of unannounced inspections to investigate compliance with the Schengen acquis and provides for “up to 24 hours’ notice to a Member State before a short-notice inspection”.
“This type of short-notice inspection should only take place if the main purpose of the inspection is to carry out a random check on the implementation of the Schengen acquis”.
The report also insists on the inclusion of the European Parliament in these verifications, and in particular in the observer teams sent to the site. The deadline for amendments is 27 January.
Link to the report: https://bit.ly/3Ft042X (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)