EU Proposes New Rules for Post-Covid Schengen Area Challenges

The European Commission is proposing a series of actions that will reinforce the Schengen area and ensure it is prepared to keep up with the evolving challenges and act swiftly and effectively in any crisis situation.

In this direction the Commission has tabled updated rules aimed at bringing greater EU coordination and better equipping member states to deal with emerging issues when managing both the EU’s common external border and internal borders within the Schengen area.

European Commission Vice President Margaritis Schinas. Photo source: @MargSchinas

“The refugee crisis of 2015, the spate of terrorists attacks on European soil and the global Covid-19 pandemic have all put the Schengen area under strain. We have a responsibility to shore up Schengen’s governance and make sure member states are equipped to ensure a rapid, coordinated and European response to situations of crisis, including where migrants are instrumentalized,” said Vice-President for Promoting our European Way of Life, Margaritis Schinas.

The proposed changes focus on ensuring that internal border controls are reintroduced as a last resort, a coordinated response to shared threats and effective alternatives to internal border checks. Additionally, the new rules also introduce shared tools to manage external borders more efficiently in case of a public health crisis. The “instrumentalization of migrants” is also addressed and a parallel proposal sets out measures EU nations can take in the fields of asylum and return in such a situation.

It should be noted that the Schengen area is home to more than 420 million people across 26 countries. Nearly 1.7 million people reside in one Schengen state and work in another. Every day some 3.5 million people cross internal borders. The Schengen area is essential for the functioning of the Single Market.

In the upcoming period, the European Parliament and Council will examine and adopt the proposals.

Adapting Schengen to evolving challenges – Fact Sheet