Commission reports on the state of the Schengen area
27 May 2014 10:45 AM
The Commission has adopted its fifth Schengen
'health check', a biannual overview on the functioning of the Schengen
area.
Yesterday the Commission adopted its fifth Schengen
'health check', a biannual overview on the functioning of the Schengen
area.
The
report provides a clear account of the state of the Schengen area,
to ensure a coherent interpretation and implementation of the common
rules amongst all Schengen participating countries1.
"In a currently particularly
challenging environment at our external borders, the Commission
is pleased to see that concrete measures to further strengthen the Schengen
area are being implemented. The biannual reports serve as basis for clear and
transparent debates that are crucial for the efficacy and legitimacy of the
Schengen system. It provides for an improved political guidance on relevant
issues and allow for timely decisions to be taken on future
developments", said Cecilia Malmström, Commissioner for
Home Affairs.
This fifth report covers the period 1 November 2013
– 30 April 2014 and assesses in particular:
The
situation at the external Schengen borders
Between November 2013 and February 2014, there were
25 936 detections of irregular border crossing. This is a decrease
compared to the 4 months preceding the reporting period, but a 96% increase
compared to the same period one year ago (November 2012 and February in 2013).
In total, the number of detections of irregular border crossings in 2013 was
107 365, 48% higher than in 2012.
The
Central Mediterranean route was the main route used during 2013, having
registered almost a four-fold increase in relation to the previous year (to
over 40 000 detections).
Following the increase in arrivals in the Central
Mediterranean area since the summer 2013 and the tragedy of Lampedusa, the
Commission has proposed ways to better address migratory and asylum
flows,and prevent migrants' death in the Mediterranean (IP/13/1199). The Commission is committed to ensure that actions
identified by the Task Force Mediterranean will continue to be
implemented.
The
application of Schengen rules
The
report highlights the steps Commission has taken to ensure correct application
of the Schengen rules and related EU law, including respect for human dignity,
principle of non-refoulement and absence of checks at the internal borders. It
presents an overview of the recent Schengen evaluations that have been carried
out in several participating States under the current Schengen evaluation
mechanism. The preparations for the launch of the new Schengen evaluation
mechanism are making good progress and the first evaluations under the new
Schengen mechanism can be expected as of January 2015.
The
report also addresses other recent developments in the Schengen area including
going live of the European Border Surveillance System (Eurosur) and recent
Communications adopted by the Commission, including the one on the EU Return
Policy.
Visa issuance and security procedures
The
report also presents the latest developments with regard to readmission and
visa facilitation agreements and visa liberalisation, including recent
amendments to the regulation 539/2001 that revised the visa reciprocity
mechanism and introduced a new suspension mechanism. The state of play with
regard to the use of the Visa Information System (VIS), currently operational
in fifteen regions, is also presented2. The VIS is working well and by 1
April 2014, the system had processed 6.7 million visa applications, while
nearly 5.6 million visas have been issued.
Since its entry into operation, on 9 April 2013 (IP/13/309 and MEMO/13/309), the second generation Schengen Information System (SIS
II) has been functioning smoothly. Through regular Schengen
evaluations and specific surveys, the Commission will continue to assess the
operational state of play and the level of implementation of the system to
ensure a fully efficient use of the new alert categories and
functionalities.
Background
In
its Communication 'Schengen governance - strengthening the area
without internal border control', the Commission announced its
intention to present an overview on the functioning of Schengen to the EU
institutions twice a year (IP/11/1036 and MEMO/11/606).
Commission's biannual reports provide the basis for
a debate in the European Parliament and in the Council. They contribute to the
strengthening of political guidance and cooperation between the Schengen
countries.
Following the Commission proposals of September 2011 the
EU adopted in 2013 rules to protect free movement and make the Schengen
governance more efficient (MEMO/13/535 and MEMO/13/536).
The
new rules allow for an early identification of possible problems and for timely
solutions. The Commission is given a central role in ensuring that Member
States correctly implement the Schengen rules: it will conduct evaluations
together with Member States' experts and take on the responsibility for
proposing recommendations for improvements if it discovers areas that could be
enhanced. The Commission will also be able to make unannounced on-site visits,
for example to make sure that Member States do not carry out border checks at
their internal borders.
The
new system also creates a possibility, in extraordinary circumstances, to
temporarily reintroduce internal border controls vis-à-vis a Member
State that is persistently failing to manage its external borders. This measure
of last resort would be triggered by the Commission and would only take place
in a truly critical situation to ensure that the problems can be resolved,
while minimising the impact on free movement.
Useful Links
Cecilia Malmström's website
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DG
Home Affairs website
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Fifth biannual report on the functioning of the
Schengen area