Tuesday

19th Mar 2024

EU extends internal border checks

  • A handful of EU states fear many of the people still stuck in Greece will attempt to enter their territories. (Photo: Nikolaj Nielsen)

The EU commission on Tuesday (25 October) endorsed extending internal border controls in Austria, Denmark, Germany, Sweden and Norway for another three months.

"The controls so far have been necessary and proportionate," EU commissioner for migration Dimitris Avrampolous told reporters in Strasbourg. He described the three month extensions as being ”strictly limited".

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Get the EU news that really matters

Instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

"It is the exception in exceptional circumstances, it is not the new normal," he said, without ruling out possible further extensions later on.

EU rules allow border checks to remain in place for up to two years.

All five states imposed internal checks over the summer in an effort to stem last year's migratory and asylum seeker flows from Greece. Those checks were allowed to remain in place for six months until mid-November as a response to "a serious threat and to safeguard public policy and internal security."

The EU commission says the five states are still under intense pressure, despite a large drop in the number of people entering Greece when compared to last year.

It argues that the "situation in Greece remains fragile" and that people, despite being largely stuck in the country, are still making their way to the EU states.

The EU commission and Greece maintain around 60,000 asylum seekers are in the country although the UN puts the figure closer to 50,000. "This number will not stay in Greece forever," said Avrampolous.

The commission also says the new European border and coast guard agency will not be fully operational until January next year.

The agency, which is still often referred to as Frontex, will have a pool of some 1,500 border guards it can dispatch at a moment’s notice in case of an emergency.

"In three months, we are expecting the full operation of the European border and coast guard," said Avrampolous.

The three-month lag suggests the EU commission is still hopeful to lift internal checks throughout the passport-free Schengen zone, which covers 22 EU states and Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland.

It had previously stated it wanted them removed before the end of year.

The EU commission's proposal will now be passed onto the Council, representing member states, for adoption.

EU extends internal border controls

Austria, Denmark, Germany, Norway, and Sweden will be allowed to extend internal border checks following approval by the EU council, representing member states.

EU Parliament set to sue EU Commission over Hungary funds

The European Parliament will likely take the European Commission to court for unblocking more than €10bn in funds for Hungary last December. A final nod of approval is still needed by European Parliament president, Roberta Metsola.

EU Commission clears Poland's access to up to €137bn EU funds

The European Commission has legally paved the way for Poland to access up to €137bn EU funds, following Donald Tusk's government's efforts to strengthen the independence of their judiciary and restore the rule of law in the country.

Opinion

Potential legal avenues to prosecute Navalny's killers

The UN could launch an independent international investigation into Navalny's killing, akin to investigation I conducted on Jamal Khashoggi's assassination, or on Navalny's Novichok poisoning, in my role as special rapporteur on extrajudicial executions, writes the secretary-general of Amnesty International.

Opinion

I'll be honest — Moldova's judicial system isn't fit for EU

To state a plain truth: at present, Moldova does not have a justice system worthy of a EU member state; it is riven with corruption and lax and inconsistent standards, despite previous attempts at reform, writes Moldova's former justice minister.

Latest News

  1. Borrell: 'Israel provoking famine', urges more aid access
  2. Europol: Israel-Gaza galvanising Jihadist recruitment in Europe
  3. EU to agree Israeli-settler blacklist, Borrell says
  4. EU ministers keen to use Russian profits for Ukraine ammo
  5. Call to change EIB defence spending rules hits scepticism
  6. Potential legal avenues to prosecute Navalny's killers
  7. EU summit, Gaza, Ukraine, reforms in focus this WEEK
  8. The present and future dystopia of political micro-targeting ads

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Nordic Council of MinistersJoin the Nordic Food Systems Takeover at COP28
  2. Nordic Council of MinistersHow women and men are affected differently by climate policy
  3. Nordic Council of MinistersArtist Jessie Kleemann at Nordic pavilion during UN climate summit COP28
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersCOP28: Gathering Nordic and global experts to put food and health on the agenda
  5. Friedrich Naumann FoundationPoems of Liberty – Call for Submission “Human Rights in Inhume War”: 250€ honorary fee for selected poems
  6. World BankWorld Bank report: How to create a future where the rewards of technology benefit all levels of society?

Join EUobserver

EU news that matters

Join us