Progress: Procedure completed
| Role | Committee | Rapporteur | Shadows |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lead | LIBE |
LÓPEZ AGUILAR Juan Fernando ( S&D)
|
Lead committee dossier:
Legal Basis:
RoP 136-p5
Legal Basis:
RoP 136-p5Events
The European Parliament adopted by 520 votes to 86, with 59 abstentions, a resolution tabled by the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs on the situation in the Schengen area following the COVID-19 outbreak.
Members expressed concern about the current situation with regard to the internal border controls introduced by a large number of Member States and Schengen associated countries in response to the COVID-19 outbreak and their very serious consequences for citizens and businesses, particularly in the tourism and seasonal work sectors. They considered that more targeted restrictions at regional level, including in cross-border regions, would have been more appropriate and less intrusive.
Parliament regretted the fact that some Member States introduced border controls and other restrictions at short notice and without providing sufficient information to their own populations or to other Member States. It called on Member States to agree that imposing minimum health checks is a better option than reintroducing internal border controls.
Return to a fully functioning Schengen
Members considered that a swift return to a fully operational Schengen area was necessary to preserve the principle of freedom of movement, which is one of the greatest achievements of European integration, and to ensure the Union's economic recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Parliament called on the Commission to play a leading role in coordinating action at EU level with the objective of addressing the challenge that COVID-19 poses to the health of European citizens, while maintaining a Schengen area without internal border controls, in accordance with the principles of solidarity and mutual trust. Regretting uncoordinated bilateral or multilateral action by individual Member States discussed outside the European framework, Members demanded that any agreement should respect the principle of non-discrimination.
Member States were called on to reduce restrictions on freedom of movement as the containment of COVID-19 is relaxed.
Recovery Plan for Schengen
Parliament called on Member States to discuss, together with Parliament, the Council and the Commission, a Recovery Plan for Schengen, including the ways and means to return to a fully functioning Schengen area without internal border control and contingency plans in the event of a potential second peak, as quickly as possible, in order to prevent temporary internal border controls from becoming semi-permanent in the medium term.
Recalling that the assessment of the need to reintroduce or prolong internal border controls shall be made at EU level, Members called on the Commission to monitor the application of the Schengen acquis and to report to Parliament on the way it makes use of the prerogatives conferred on it by the Treaties.
Member States which have introduced internal border controls shall report to Parliament at least every six months, providing accurate data on the reasons for reintroducing internal border controls.
Reforming Schengen governance
In the medium term, Parliament considered it necessary to reflect on how to ensure that the Union's legislative instruments allow genuine European governance of the Schengen area and an effective and coordinated European response to crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, while maintaining the right to freedom of movement and the principle of the absence of controls at internal borders, which is at the heart of the Schengen project cherished by EU citizens.
The Commission is invited to present a proposal to reform Schengen governance in the light of the current challenges. For its part, the Council is called on to present a new draft decision on the full application of the provisions of the Schengen acquis in Bulgaria and Romania as soon as possible.
Documents
- Commission response to text adopted in plenary: SP(2020)427
- Motion for a resolution: B9-0165/2020
- Results of vote in Parliament: Results of vote in Parliament
- Decision by Parliament: T9-0175/2020
- Oral question/interpellation by Parliament: B9-0010/2020
- Oral question/interpellation by Parliament: B9-0011/2020
- Debate in Parliament: Debate in Parliament
- Oral question/interpellation by Parliament: B9-0010/2020
- Oral question/interpellation by Parliament: B9-0011/2020
- Motion for a resolution: B9-0165/2020
- Commission response to text adopted in plenary: SP(2020)427
Activities
- Juan Fernando LÓPEZ AGUILAR
Plenary Speeches (1)Institutional Motions (1)
- Pascal ARIMONT
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Malin BJÖRK
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Fabio Massimo CASTALDO
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Angel DZHAMBAZKI
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Tanja FAJON
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Fabienne KELLER
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Emil RADEV
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Paulo RANGEL
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Birgit SIPPEL
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Rainer WIELAND
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Clare DALY
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Robert HAJŠEL
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Ioan-Rareş BOGDAN
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Mislav KOLAKUŠIĆ
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Erik MARQUARDT
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Nicola PROCACCINI
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Michal ŠIMEČKA
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Tineke STRIK
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Annalisa TARDINO
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Dragoş TUDORACHE
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Isabel WISELER-LIMA
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Eugen JURZYCA
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Karlo RESSLER
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Tudor CIUHODARU
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Lena DÜPONT
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Marc ANGEL
Plenary Speeches (1)
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