In the debate with the Commission and Council, MEPs call for the Schengen passport-free travel area to be completed swiftly by extending it to all EU member states who wish to participate. Opening statements by Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the European Commission in charge of promoting our European Way of Life and by Mikuláš BEK, Czech Minister for European Affairs.

The accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen area: opening statements by Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the European Commission in charge of promoting our European Way of Life and by Mikuláš BEK, Czech Minister for European Affairs

SOUNDBITE (English), Mikul&aacute;&scaron; BEK, Czech Minister for European Affairs, Madam President, Honourable Members, Commissioner, the Schengen area is one of the greatest achievements of our Union. In recent years, it has been under considerable strain. Successive crises such as the 2015 migration wave, Covid-19 pandemics or the impact of the current Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, have tested our response capacity.

SOUNDBITE (English), Mikuláš BEK, Czech Minister for European Affairs, Therefore, considerable efforts were and continue to be required to ensure the resilience of the Schengen area. Inter alia, adoption of the Schengen Borders Code would be an important step in that direction and the Council is ready to start the trilogue as soon as possible. Furthermore, the Presidency considers the pending completion of the enlargement of the Schengen area as a key missing element.

SOUNDBITE (English), Mikuláš BEK, Czech Minister for European Affairs, As you are well aware, Bulgaria and Romania have completed the necessary conditions for the Council to be able to discuss the lifting of controls at internal borders. In this context, the Czech Presidency is committed to making progress so as to enable Bulgaria and Romania to be fully part of the Schengen area. More concretely, the Presidency is working towards the adoption of the required Council decision by unanimity at the December Council.

SOUNDBITE (English), Mikuláš BEK, Czech Minister for European Affairs, In this regard, we are engaging with Member States to prepare the ground for a substantive discussion on the lifting of controls at internal borders with Bulgaria and Romania. In our effort to secure the necessary unanimity in the Council, the Presidency facilitated the expert visits in Bulgaria and Romania next week, as conducted by the Commission. The visits, which are hosted by both Member States on a voluntary basis and in the spirit of mutual trust, will asserting the implementation of the fundamental elements of the Schengen acquis.

SOUNDBITE (English), Mikuláš BEK, Czech Minister for European Affairs, In parallel, the Presidency fully supports the full Schengen accession of Croatia. We trust that the European Parliament will issue its opinion on the matter in due time. The Council will be informed about the state of play regarding the Schengen enlargement process in October. The completion of the Schengen enlargement would constitute another milestone in the functioning of the Schengen area and the Presidency remains committed to that effect in full cooperation with the European Parliament as well as with the Commission. Thank you very much for your attention. I look forward to listening to the debate.

SOUNDBITE (English), Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the EC in charge of promoting our European Way of Life, Thank you, Madam President, Minister, honourable Members. Schengen, together with the euro, the Single Market and Erasmus, is one of the most emblematic achievements of the European Union. Schengen is the jewel in our crown. It is the largest area of borderless travel in the world, including 26 countries so far, and benefiting 420 million people. It is part of our way of life and an important element for making us feel not only nationals but also Europeans.

SOUNDBITE (English), Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the EC in charge of promoting our European Way of Life, It is also one of the most travelled regions in the world. Today, Schengen travellers make 1.25 billion journeys in Schengen area every year. One third of our population lives in border regions and there are 3.5 million people crossing a border every day. And we also count 24 million business trips per year. These are not numbers. This is the fuel of our economy. This is what fertilises our society.

SOUNDBITE (English), Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the EC in charge of promoting our European Way of Life, For the last 35 years, we have built an entire Schengen architecture to better protect this borderless area without controls. And we must continue to build and improve the architecture of Schengen because no system can bear the test of time without renewal to reflect this. This year we have started an annual cycle of Schengen governance, kicked off by a new state of Schengen report.

SOUNDBITE (English), Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the EC in charge of promoting our European Way of Life, The idea is to give Schengen a strong political direction from the Commission, the Parliament, the Council, to boost our important efforts on the ground, on border control, police cooperation returns, visa, data protection, and we will continue delivering on parts of these strategies for the next two years. Strengthening the management of our external borders, ensuring that internal border checks are measures of last resort, and strengthening internal security through reinforced police cooperation.

SOUNDBITE (English), Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the EC in charge of promoting our European Way of Life, It is key that we advance on both the operational and the legislative track. Our proposal for the Schengen Borders Code put forward in December last year will make us better prepared to handle any future crisis. Ensuring free movements and incorporating the lessons that we learnt during the pandemic, the new online Schengen information system, complemented by other IT systems, will also allow us to achieve full interoperability in Europe by the end of the next year.

SOUNDBITE (English), Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the EC in charge of promoting our European Way of Life, And this will be, at the time, the most advanced border protection system in the world politically, operationally and legislatively. Honourable Members, it is also true that Schengen has faced repeated challenges. First, the refugee crisis of 2015 and 16, the pandemic, persistent terrorist threats, the instrumentalisation of migrants from authoritarian leaders at our external border. And now the war of aggression against Ukraine.

SOUNDBITE (English), Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the EC in charge of promoting our European Way of Life, In spite of all these challenges, we have consistently succeeded in preserving this crown jewel of European integration, thanks to the unwavering commitment amongst Member States, but also members of this House, which I would like to profoundly thank for their commitment to our collective Schengen achievements. And according to last year's Eurobarometer, our people understand this. The overwhelming support of Europeans across our continent fully support Schengen.

SOUNDBITE (English), Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the EC in charge of promoting our European Way of Life, Honourable Members, for the best of more than four decades now, and despite these problems and challenges, the Schengen area has continued growing and deepening. And it is now high time it grew further. Already, since 2011, the Commission has been actively advocating for the completion of Schengen, urging Member States to rapidly take the necessary steps to allow those Member States that are not yet fully part of the area to join.

SOUNDBITE (English), Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the EC in charge of promoting our European Way of Life, And this will increase not only our security but also broaden our cohesion. We have made tremendous progress in the last months with important political steps that have been taken. In December, the Council recognised that Croatia fulfilled all the necessary conditions for the application of all parts of Schengen acquis and the European Parliament is now to give its opinion. A lot of progress has also been made for the accession of Romania and Bulgaria.

SOUNDBITE (English), Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the EC in charge of promoting our European Way of Life, Both countries are waiting for the decision of the Council for more than 11 years now, when the Commission confirmed that they fully fulfil the necessary conditions to join. In the meantime, both countries continue to actively apply the Schengen acquis and contribute to our common security at the EU external border. And I wish to highlight and praise both our Romanian and Bulgarian partners for the manner in which they have managed the external borders in the face of the large number of refugees from Ukraine. Their stance was exemplary and made us all proud.

SOUNDBITE (English), Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the EC in charge of promoting our European Way of Life, It is therefore excellent news that the Czech presidency here present took Schengen enlargement on board as one of their main priorities. Bulgaria and Romania remain fully committed to continue correctly applying the Schengen rules and to contributing to the proper functioning of the area as a whole. Schengen is a success built on mutual trust and the proper implementation of the acquis. The new Schengen Evaluation and Monitoring Mechanism Regulation is clear. The verification in accordance with the applicable evaluation procedures concerning Bulgaria, Romania and Croatia had already been completed.

SOUNDBITE (English), Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the EC in charge of promoting our European Way of Life, Despite this, and with a truly cooperative attitude, such verification, although it should have already been relaunched, despite this, Bulgaria and Romania have invited the team, coordinated by the Commission, to assess the application of the latest developments and this upcoming voluntary reassessment of Bulgaria and Romania by means of a fact finding mission of Commission and Member State experts will take place later this month. It is a very important gesture of transparency that I salute.

SOUNDBITE (English), Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the EC in charge of promoting our European Way of Life, This is not, and I want to be very clear on this point, this is not about re-evaluating Bulgaria and Romania. It is rather about allowing Member States to get the latest updates and reassurances that the Schengen acquis is still fully applied. This team of experts will look into external border management, police cooperation, including return, Schengen and visa information systems and visa policy developments in general. But they will look equally into the fundamental rights and data protection frameworks as horizontal topics.

SOUNDBITE (English), Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the EC in charge of promoting our European Way of Life, Let me conclude by reiterating the Commission's full support to the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to Schengen. This can only strengthen our collective resilience and deepen our cohesion. We now have a real opportunity in December to make at last this historic decisions and let the citizens of Romania, Bulgaria and Croatia benefit fully from our cherished Schengen. Success making us stronger and safe together. I remain convinced that by working together we can fortify and expand this so emblematic European success story for the benefit of our citizens, the internal market and our economists think.

The accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen area: opening statements by Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the European Commission in charge of promoting our European Way of Life and by Mikuláš BEK, Czech Minister for European Affairs

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