EP backs Schengen reform package

The European Parliament on Wednesday endorsed the Commission's Schengen reform package aimed at more efficient borders control and free movement inside the passport-free zone, during its plenary session in Strasbourg, France. The package includes a new EU-based Schengen evaluation mechanism and an amendment on the current Schengen borders code to lay down common rules on temporarily reintroducing internal border checks "as a last resort" in exceptional cases. In particular, the new mechanism will allow inspection teams composed of experts from member states and the Commission to make unannounced visits to internal borders that may halt any attempts to impose illegal border checks. The amendment also allows member states to re-impose border checks unilaterally when facing unforeseeable events, but only for up to 10 days, after which the case has to be monitored at the EU level. "The new rules will better protect Schengen as an area without controls at internal borders and will help prevent and remove unjustified obstacles to free movement," the EU's home affairs commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom said on Wednesday. According to a recent Eurobarometer survey, free movement is considered as the most positive outcome of the EU integration process for more than 50 years. The Schengen area comprises 22 out of 27 EU member states and four non-EU states, namely Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland. The system was under huge pressure following a sudden influx of migrants from North African countries back in 2011, which triggered the Commission's reform proposals to strengthen the Schengen governance. The EU Council, the co-legislator together with the Parliament, is expected to adopt the package later this year.