The tensions within the EU institutions and with member states over the governance of the Schenghen Area is spiralling. The European Parliament has recently added its voice to the conversation arguing for the control over the implementation of the rules on the Schengen area to be kept at the EU level. This is a response to pressure from EU member states that have increasingly been pushing proposals that reclaim powers of control over internal borders. The array of cases infringing the Schengen rules, with EU citizens facing controls which shouldn’t exist at internal borders – with Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany, France, etc. pose a challange to freedom of movement, a fundamental right of European citizens and one of the main pillars of the EU.
“The European Parliament doesn’t accept that the rules on the Schengen area, established in the Amsterdam Treaty and further consolidated within the Lisbon Treaty, are being infringed by Member States. Schengen is a common concern, therefore, we need to guarantee that the Schengen governance is carried out at EU level. The freedom of movement and the rights of citizens must be preserved. The European Institutions should play an active role in maintaining vigilance over the Schengen functioning, and be able to respond to any challenges that might occur” (Carlos Coelho MEP, European Parliament Rapporteur on the Schengen dossier)
