Eu turkey action plan schengen area

On 2 June 2021, the Commission presented a communication on a new Strategy for the future of Schengen. The proposal is part of a broader effort to update and strengthen the Schengen system, which also includes a proposal to amend the regulation on the Schengen evaluation and monitoring mechanism and a forthcoming proposal to amend the Schengen Borders Code. The strategy builds on three key elements: ensuring effective and modern management of the EU's external borders; reinforcing the Schengen area internally; and (3) improving governance to foster trust between Member States as well as better crisis preparedness.

The key actions concerning the management of EU’s external borders are:

• Complete the roll-out of the European Border and Coast Guard standing corps
• Launch the two new information systems for border and migration management and law enforcement (the Entry/Exit System and the European Travel Information and Authorisation System) by 2023 and upgrade the Schengen Information System and the Visa Information System
• Digitalise visa application procedure (forthcoming proposal)
• Support research on new technologies for border management and security.

The key actions on the Schengen area without internal border controls are:

• Foster political dialogue to rebuild trust among Member States (e.g. through regular Schengen Forum, annual Schengen reports and a new ‘State of Schengen Scoreboard')
• Engage with the Member States concerned to address long-lasting reintroductions of controls at internal borders
• Assess the reintroduction of internal border controls on grounds related to the coronavirus pandemic
• Revise the Schengen Borders Code (forthcoming proposal) to enhance coordination and increase resilience to threats
• Codify the guidelines and recommendations developed during the coronavirus pandemic (e.g. propose a contingency plan allowing for the reactivation of the successful Green Lanes system).

Regarding the governance of the Schengen system, the strategy focuses on:

• Revise the Schengen evaluation and monitoring mechanism (SEM) to improve procedures and increase political visibility of Schengen issues (proposal presented)
• Strengthen internal measures in police cooperation, security, and migration - to compensate for the absence of controls at internal borders
• Improve information exchange and support law enforcement cooperation (e.g. propose an EU Police Cooperation Code and an upgrade of the Prüm framework)
• Explore the use of technologies as alternative to border controls.

The Commission also called for completing the enlargement of the Schengen area, so that Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, and Cyprus can fully benefit from Schengen.

The European Parliament has strongly supported efforts to strengthen the Schengen system by improving the management of the EU's external borders and by ensuring a fully functioning Schengen area without controls at internal borders. The Parliament has insisted on the need to strengthen the EU’s external borders and to improve migration and asylum policies, as part of a holistic EU approach to migration. In its 2018 resolution on Schengen, it expressed concerns about the implementation of the European integrated border management strategy and stressed the need to strengthen fundamental rights aspects. The Parliament has reiterated that any controls at internal borders are necessary and proportionate. During the coronavirus pandemic, the Parliament has called for ‘a Recovery Plan for Schengen' to ensure the return to a fully functioning Schengen area. It asked the Commission to present a proposal to reform the Schengen governance in order to establish ‘a truly European governance of the Schengen area’. The Parliament has also repeatedly called on the Council to complete the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the Schengen area.

References:

• European Commission, Communication on ‘A strategy towards a fully functioning and resilient Schengen area’, June 2021
• European Commission, Report on the Functioning of the Schengen Evaluation and Monitoring Mechanism, November 2020
• European Parliament, Resolution on the situation in the Schengen area following the Covid-19 outbreak, 19 June 2020.
• European Parliament, Resolution on the annual Report on the functioning of the Schengen area, 30 May 2018.
• H. A. Madatali and T. Jager, Revision of the Schengen Evaluation and Monitoring Mechanism, briefing, European Parliament, EPRS, May 2021
• M. Wagner, Katsiaficas, J. Liebl, L. Hadj Abdou, l. Dražanová and J. Jeandesboz, The state of play of Schengen governance: An assessment of the Schengen evaluation and monitoring mechanism in its first multiannual programme, study, European Parliament, Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs

Author: Costica Dumbrava, Members' Research Service, legislative-train@europarl.europa.eu