Strasbourg, 7 October 2024
EU Commissioner Johansson’s speech at the Plenary debate on internal border controls and their impact on Schengen
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“I am proud to live in the Schengen area, and I think all of us are. It is the biggest area of free movement in the world—450 million people in 29 countries who can move freely through Europe. Nearly 30% of our population lives in a border region, with 50 million people living right next to an internal border, within 20 kilometers. Free movement is essential to our citizens and businesses, and internal border controls must be temporary, used only as a measure of last resort. I am also proud that in this mandate, we welcomed Croatia, Bulgaria, and Romania into Schengen. I have fought very hard for this, and the impact on people is huge. No passports, no queues—this is what Europe is about.
A friend from Romania told me how amazing it is at the airport when her children laugh and say, “Mum, no passports!” That’s because Schengen is not only the foundation of our prosperity, it is part of our identity—part of who we are. Bulgaria and Romania have gone above and beyond, carrying out all the extra measures. My message to ministers on Thursday at the Justice and Home Affairs Council will be clear: take the last step. Lift the border controls at the land borders before the year is out. They deserve it, and the time is right.
In the last five years, we have made Schengen more secure. Together, we achieved much more in terms of security than I thought possible. We provided a new mandate for Europol, which is now the bedrock of police cooperation in the EU, with more powers, more resources, and more staff. New laws and initiatives have been implemented to boost police cooperation and information exchange, while we continue to step up the fight against organized crime and drug trafficking. At the same time, we have made Schengen governance stronger by embarking on an ambitious reform.
When I started as Commissioner, there was little structural cooperation at the political level on Schengen. I wanted to move from administering Schengen to governing it. There must be political leadership and responsibility. That’s why we established the Schengen Council for ministers to meet and decide on priorities. Previously, Schengen challenges were often addressed only as they arose. Improvisation is good, but coordination is better. We set up an annual Schengen cycle of governance based on a State of Schengen report, highlighting progress and problems. As part of this reform, we revised the Schengen Borders Code, and I thank the Parliament for your hard work.
Internal border controls must remain temporary, proportionate, and used as a measure of last resort—only in the face of a serious threat to public policy or internal security. While 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 borders, especially 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 controls. The Schengen Coordinator I appointed is working closely with both the Member States that have internal border controls and those affected by them. As a result, several Member States have lifted their temporary border controls. Last year, we launched a consultation with Member States, both those who introduced internal checks and those affected by them. This dialogue forms the basis for lifting controls and finding alternatives, as alternative measures should always be prioritized. Thanks to this dialogue, Member States are using alternatives like joint patrols, joint investigations, and joint police stations instead of internal border controls.
When border checks are necessary, they must have as little impact as possible on cross-border traffic and take into account the people living in border regions. Thanks to our Schengen reform, we are now better equipped to handle internal border checks. The Schengen Borders Code introduces clear new rules, and this Thursday, I will discuss Schengen challenges with ministers at the Council, based on the Schengen barometer—an innovation introduced during this mandate.
Finally, I am proud of the Pact on Migration and Asylum, a historic agreement that shows our citizens we can compromise on the most difficult challenges together. All Member States are now working hard to implement the pact by mid-2026. The Pact will help us protect people, secure our borders, and manage migration in an orderly way. I am confident this will also reduce the need for Member States to resort to internal border checks.
We must safeguard free movement for the future while keeping people safe. To achieve this, we need to do three things: protect our external borders even better, use the new Schengen Borders Code, and fully implement the Pact on Migration and Asylum. I count on you in this House to make this a reality—do everything in your power to strengthen Schengen and keep Europe safe.
Source – EU Commission