We ask MEPs Ulrike Lunacek and Monica Macovei whether tightened border checks aimed at stopping the travel of radicalised EU citizens can maintain free movement.

EU external border checks tightened as security threat deterrent

https://api.multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/documents/20125/11560752/n003-0395-en.srt

An estimated 5,000 EU citizens  have left Europe

for Middle Eastern conflict zones recently,  mainly Syria and Iraq.

Those who returned arrived  with combat experience and Jihadist zeal,

Europe is responding  to the heightened terrorist threat

by tightening controls  on its external borders.

Romanian MEP Monica Macovei  and Austrian MEP Ulrike Lunacek

are steering the legislation  through Parliament.

Do new EU Commission measures to have  IDs checked against several data banks

go far enough to halt radicalised fighters?

That is one reason  for modifying Schengen rules to able,

Probably if you see a citizen  from an EU country going to Syria,

based on information,  yes you could stop them.

Europol, Frontex  plus the national databases.

For instance, on if someone  uses a stolen ID or a fake ID,

and information that shows if someone  is coming into the EU

to put in danger the security of citizens.

Some of the terrorists  from the Paris attacks and others

have been or are EU citizens  that had been travelling outside the EU

and then come back in from Syria  or elsewhere through EU external borders.

They pass through even though in some  databases they had already been marked

and there should be hit system on them  so that they could be checked further.

So now the idea is to use  all these three databases:

Interpol databases, the Schengen system  and also national databases.

So this is something for dealing with  terrorists and international crime

but doesn't have anything to do  with refugees, that is important to clarify.

Is there the right balance between the need  for security and freedom of movement?

Even if we have to carry out  such ID checks,

it is counterbalanced  by the need for security.

So I think it's better to make sure that  everyone who enters and leaves is checked,

including me, you and anyone  who is honest

in order to stop those who come  to bring fear, terror and death in the EU.

is that it means every EU citizen  will be checked at the external borders.

We could end up with overly long queues  at the borders

for EU citizens,  that is not something we want.

And also as a Green I will also say  I don't want this system to be very intrusive

Personally, I'm more in favour  of keeping more of the freedoms alive

because there is no 100% security,  there never is in life.

Do these measures go hand in hand  with other social measures

and there should be more people  at the border and better equipment,

in the Schengen information system  for instance, my identity and everything.

When into the reasons  for why many of these young men,

and some young women too,  become radicalised,

it has a lot more to do  with a sense of not belonging,

having being traumatised by certain issues,

of wanting to be somebody  and a lack of self-esteem.

That then makes them radical,  so there's a lot of psychology in it.

Some people who have extreme views  or radical views,

So this step has to be prevented  and much more money is needed there

social workers, psychologists etc.  and also using them.