European Commission has made proposals for reform of Schengen zone

11:41 - 15.12.2021


December 15, Fineko/abc.az.  The European Commission has made proposals concerning the reforms of the Schengen area. The new development strategy wants to take into account the lessons of the coronavirus pandemic and the migration crisis on the borders of the EU and Belarus.

The Schengen reform was announced last fall.

European Commission’s president Ursula von der Leyen emphasized that the reform implies the preservation of free movement within the Schengen area while tightening control along its perimeter.

"The proposed changes are aimed at strengthening coordination within the EU and will allow states to receive improved tools to counter the difficulties in managing the common external borders of the EU, as well as internal borders in the Schengen area," the statement said.
In the case of a migration crisis like the situation on the border of Belarus with Poland, Lithuania and Latvia, the following measures are proposed: to reduce the number of existing checkpoints, strengthen measures to protect the external border of the EU, consider refugee applications for asylum directly on the border territory.
In addition, the European Commission calls on the EU members to conclude or update bilateral readmission agreements, to establish more effective cooperation between law enforcement agencies in border areas. According to the European Commission, this will help, for example, deport illegal migrants not outside the EU, but to the European country from which the violator arrived.

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