15/10/2007 (Agence Europe) - A few weeks before the Council's meeting planned on 8-9 November on the accession of nine member states to the Schengen system of free movement, the Financial Times Deutschland revealed (in its 10 October issue) a “secret” report by the Portuguese presidency of the EU that illustrated shortcomings in many countries, especially Eastern Europe, involving security problems at their borders and the distribution of Schengen visas. Nonetheless, several sources at the Council and European Commission denied the fact that such problems still existed and asserted that most of them had been settled during the Council meeting in mid-September (EUROPE 9504). (B.C.)