site.btaEuropean Commissioner for Home Affairs Johansson to Urge JHA Council to Let Bulgaria, Romania Enter Schengen by Land

European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson highlighted Monday Bulgaria and Romania's efforts to carry out all the extra measures for Schengen entry, saying that the two countries "have gone above and beyond". She made a statement during debates on the future of Schengen on the first day of the new plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

"My message to ministers on Thursday at the JHA Council [Justice and Home Affairs Council] will be: take the last step - lift the border controls, including at land borders, before this year is out. They deserve it. The time is right," she said. 

The discussions were provoked by Germany's decision to restore checks at its land borders with France, Poland, Czechia, Austria and Switzerland.

"Free movement is essential for our citizens and businesses," Johansson stressed. "Internal border controls must be temporary, proportionate, and used only as a measure of last resort, in the face of a serious threat to public policy or internal security. Though Member States have the right to introduce temporary border controls under strict conditions, it is clear that they risk undermining the benefits of free movement. No one wants to stand in long traffic jams at the border, especially not commuters on their way to work. We all want to stop criminals and terrorists, but we don't want to stop travel, trade, and tourism. This is why the Commission works tirelessly with Member States to lift internal border controls," the European Commissioner for Home Affairs added.

"We launched a consultation last year with Member States—both those who introduced internal checks and those affected by them—and this has been the basis for our dialogue to lift controls and find alternatives. Alternative measures should always be prioritized. As a result of this dialogue, Member States are using alternatives for internal border controls, such as joint patrols, joint investigations, and joint police stations. When border checks are necessary, they must have as little impact as possible on cross-border traffic and must take into account the people living in border regions," Johansson underlined.

"Over the last five years, we have also made Schengen governance stronger. We embarked on an ambitious Schengen reform. When I started as Commissioner, there was little structural cooperation at the political level on Schengen. I wanted to move from merely administering Schengen to governing Schengen. There must be political leadership and political responsibility. So we put in place the Schengen Council, for ministers to meet and decide on priorities. When I started, Schengen challenges were often addressed as they arose. Improvisation is good, but coordination is better," she said. 

Johansson said three things should be done to safeguard free movement for the future while keeping people safe: protect the external borders even better, fully implement the new Schengen Border Code, and fully implement the Pact on Migration and Asylum.