The Commission welcomes the political agreement on new rules for a more resilient Schengen area

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission.

The Commission welcomes the political agreement reached today between the European Parliament and the Council on new rules for the Schengen Borders Code. This Regulation will strengthen EU coordination to deal with challenges at the EU external borders as well as cross-border health and security threats.

The Schengen area has faced various challenges over recent years, from the COVID-19 pandemic to security threats such as terrorism, drug trafficking and organised crime, to irregular migration. Such developments require an updated Schengen rulebook.
The Commission proposed to update and revise the Schengen Borders Code in December 2021. The aim of the reform is to complete the range of tools necessary to ensure the proper functioning of the Schengen area, both at the external and internal borders.

Today’s agreement includes the following measures to strengthen the Schengen Borders Code:

• Stronger external borders, with border measures to address the instrumentalisation of migrants.
• Reinforced framework for the use of cross-border police cooperation in border regions as an alternative to internal border controls.
• A revised framework for the possible reintroduction of internal border controls as a last resort measure, in a structured system with defined time limits and increased safeguards.
• New transfer procedure for irregular migrants, to assist Member States in dealing with secondary movements within the EU.
• Travel restrictions for third country nationals at the EU’s external borders during major health emergencies with common and simplified rules for limiting travel by non-EU nationals.

Next steps

The Regulation must now be formally adopted by the European Parliament and the Council. It will enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

Background

Schengen is the largest area of borderless travel in the world. Hundreds of millions of people cross the EU’s external borders every year, safely and smoothly, making the EU the most welcoming destination in the world. The Schengen area comprises 27 countries and extends over 4 million square kilometers with a population of over 420 million people. With Romania and Bulgaria as of 31 March 2024, the Schengen area will grow to 4.5 million square kilometers with a population of 450 million.

There is a clear need to boost Schengen’s resilience to serious threats and adapt the Schengen rules to evolving challenges. This is why the Commission announced in its New Pact on Migration and Asylum as well as in the June 2021 Strategy towards a fully functioning and resilient Schengen area, that it would propose to revise the Schengen Borders Code. In December 2021, the Commission presented the updated rules to reinforce the resilience of the Schengen area, including the revision of the Schengen Borders Code.

For More Information

Proposal to amend the Schengen Borders Code

Border crossing – European Commission (europa.eu)

State of Schengen Report 2023

Bulgaria and Romania to join Schengen area starting with air and sea borders

Quote(s)

Schengen’s future must be marked by continued commitment to preserve and fortify this essential freedom and driver of economic growth. The new rules agreed today will help keep Schengen fit for the modern age: codifying the lessons learnt during the COVID-19 pandemic at both the external and internal borders, addressing small but constant numbers of unauthorised movements of irregular migrants, equipping Member States to tackle instrumentalisation situations and streamlining the rules for reintroducing internal controls by adding new safeguards and promoting alternatives to border controls.

Margaritis Schinas, Vice-President for Promoting our European Way of Life

The pandemic has shown very clearly that the Schengen area is key for our economies and societies. With this agreement, we are moving forward to ensure that border controls are introduced as a last resort, based on a common assessment and for only as long as needed. Furthermore, the measures proposed will allow us to manage the EU’s external borders together, including in situations where migrants are instrumentalised for political purposes. The update of the Schengen Borders Code will give Member States the tools to address the challenges they face.

Ylva Johansson, Commissioner for Home Affairs