migration
Macron wants rapid Schengen reform – advise EU ministers
French President Emmanuel Macron is calling for freedom of movement within the Schengen area to be secured. Photo: Kay Nietfeld/dpa-Pool/dpa
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Little progress has been made in European asylum policy for years. France, as Council President of the EU states, is now trying a new approach. Head of state Macron does not believe in miracles either.
French President Emmanuel Macron is pushing for a reform of the Schengen area in view of the threat of terrorism and migration. The system for eliminating border controls, to which 26 European countries belong, was created at a very different time than it is today, said Macron in Tourcoing in northern France.
There he campaigned for his ideas in front of the EU interior ministers. This Thursday, the ministers want to discuss Europe’s asylum and migration policy in Lille.
Macron called for freedom of movement within the Schengen area to be secured. For example, the protection of the external borders must be strengthened. He also reiterated his idea of a “Schengen Council” in which the ministers involved meet. France currently holds the EU Council Presidency.
For exceptional situations at the external borders, such as the Belarus crisis, Macron called for a mechanism to coordinate short-term help from other countries. All migrants at the external borders would also have to be registered in faster procedures.
protection of external borders
In the Schengen area there are only exceptionally stationary border controls. However, France, Germany and other countries have been checking again for a number of years, also with reference to the threat of terrorism. Macron defended this, but also said the aim is to return to real freedom of movement through better external border protection. The EU Commission recently proposed a reform. This should draw lessons from the corona pandemic and terrorist attacks, for example, and make border controls an exception again.
Better protection of the external borders and fewer migration figures are also considered to be prerequisites for progress in the reform of asylum and migration policy, which has been blocked for years. Before the meeting, Paris sent a paper to the other EU countries on which to base the discussion. The letter, which is available to the German Press Agency, emphasizes the importance of cooperation with countries of origin and transit, for example against unwanted migration and for more so-called returns.
The paper also provides relief for the countries on the EU’s external border. They should get financial and operational help from the EU and its agencies. But the EU states could also help with the repatriation or accommodation of the migrants. A so-called “coalition of the willing” is also mentioned, for which Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) is also promoting. Predecessor Horst Seehofer (CSU) had already tried to forge a similar coalition.
Macron emphasized that there could only be a European solution to the issue of migration. France wants to make progress step by step in all areas. Although he is an optimist, he does not believe in miracles. The EU states must first regain trust in one another.
In view of the Belarus crisis, strong migration across the English Channel and cross-border crime, external border protection is also a separate item on the agenda on Thursday. There will also be a debate on the fight against terror and radicalization. The parliamentary director of the FDP parliamentary group in the Bundestag, Stephan Thomae, called for an overall EU concept that includes agreements with important countries of origin. It should not only be about cooperation in the case of repatriations, but also, for example, in the economy.