In an opinion published on Tuesday 2 June, the European Commission once again argued in favour of the gradual lifting of checks at internal borders, reintroduced by nine countries in the Schengen area, including Germany, Austria and France - most of them citing migratory pressure or terrorist risks linked to international conflicts.
Although EU law allows these checks in the event of serious threats to internal security, the Commission stresses that more effective alternatives already exist, such as non-systematic police checks, automated number plate recognition or mobile biometric authentication.
The gradual deployment of the Pact on Migration and Asylum (see EUROPE 13878/2) and the entry into operation of the Entry/Exit System (see EUROPE 13845/7) have also helped to strengthen the management of external borders, it points out, also recalling that checks are not supposed to exceed two years - except in an exceptional situation.
In the meantime, Commission undertakes to continue the dialogue with Member States in order to limit the negative impact of these measures on cross-border workers and preserve single market.
Magnus Brunner, Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration, also stated in the same press release that irregular crossings fell by 40% in 2026. With all the modern management systems already put in place, “Member States are in a position to work towards phasing out controls at internal borders”, he said.
The Commission’s full opinion: https://aeur.eu/f/m5c (Original version in French by Justine Manaud)