BRUSSELS, (Reuters) – European Union governments would be able to suspend passport-free travel in parts of Europe for as long as two years under regulations proposed yesterday to address concerns over large-scale immigration.
At a meeting in Luxembourg, EU home affairs ministers agreed on new rules that would allow countries to reintroduce border controls if one state persistently failed to stop illegal migrants from entering Europe’s Schengen zone.
Such a decision would have to follow careful monitoring of the external borders for at least three months which revealed a “serious threat to public policy or internal security” in the EU.
Checks between the country failing to meet standards and other EU states could be put in place for six months at a time, with possible extensions up to two years. Other EU states would have to agree before passport controls could be brought in.
“There must be no weak links in the chain when it comes to illegal migration,” Danish Justice Minister Morten Bodskov told a news conference after the meeting. “Steps need to be taken quickly if Schengen cooperation is under threat.”
