Fresh data from Dutch police shows how irregular migrants and criminals exploit the EU's passport-free borders.
Under the rules of the so-called Schengen Area, which covers all EU countries except Bulgaria, Cyprus, Ireland, Romania and the UK, people still have to carry some form of ID and national police can still do spot-checks, so long as the European Commission does not think they amount to systematic border control.
For their part, Dutch police regularly go on buses or train...
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Andrew Rettman is EUobserver's foreign editor, writing about foreign and security issues since 2005. He is Polish, but grew up in the UK, and lives in Brussels. He has also written for The Guardian, The Times of London, and Intelligence Online.