The Ministers and representatives of the Interior Ministers of the EU Member States will meet in Luxembourg on Friday 13 June for a meeting dedicated to the state of health of the Schengen area, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the treaty ensuring the free movement of persons, but also to the continuation of the temporary protection offered since 2022 to more than four million Ukrainians in the EU.
To this end, the Ministers will adopt a declaration on the free movement area, committing them to strengthening it, and a decision to extend the temporary protection status of Ukrainians in the EU by one year, until March 2027.
The Member States unanimously approved this extension on 11 June.
At lunch, they will discuss the new Regulation on the return of people residing illegally in the EU, which opens up the possibility of setting up return centres in third countries. The Regulation continues its technical journey through the EU Council, but the first compromise is not expected until the Danish Presidency of the EU Council.
Migration. The Ministers will first review progress on the ‘Pact on Migration and Asylum’, on the basis of the Commission communication published on 11 June (see EUROPE 13657/2).
“This year, the Commission will launch its assessment of the migration situation in the Member States. This will trigger the process for Member States pledging contributions for their solidarity pledge”, also indicates the Polish Presidency.
Frontex agency reported on 11 June that irregular arrivals in the EU fell over the first part of 2025 (see EUROPE 13657/3).
Discussions on solidarity contributions, and in particular financial contributions, have begun at the EU Council and should feed into the first decisions on estimating needs, to be taken by the Commission in October. During discussions on the external dimension of migration, the ministers will also address the situation in Libya and its impact on migratory flows to Europe.
On 13 June, Sweden is also due to present a document on how to strengthen visa policy and use it strategically to deal with return and readmission issues. This country advocates the use of commercial leverage to tackle these issues.
IT infrastructure. At a EU Council meeting with relatively few decisions, the Ministers will also receive a progress report on the development of the EU’s IT infrastructure for border management and law enforcement, particularly with regard to the interoperability of information systems. An agreement was recently reached with the European Parliament on the entry/exit system (EES) and its gradual entry into operation, in principle starting in October.
Among other things, ETIAS, the EU’s travel authorisation system, is still due to come into force, but this has also been delayed by the various technical delays accumulated in the other information databases.
Internal security. The Council of the EU will also discuss the European internal security strategy (ProtectEU) presented by the Commission on 1 April (see EUROPE 13612/13). Access to data for law enforcement agencies will be another key internal security issue, says the Presidency.
On this occasion, the Ministers will exchange views on the implementation of short-term measures to facilitate access to data and support law enforcement agencies in their efforts to combat crime.
Schengen. Finally, the Ministers and ministerial representatives from the Member States and associated countries will discuss the state of the free movement area, with a presentation by the Commission of its 2025 report (see EUROPE 13626/6), and will also approve a declaration for its 40th anniversary (see EUROPE 13655/5). (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)