EU urged to reform Schengen border pact
Source: Agencies |
April 27, 2011, Wednesday
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Italy and France asked the European Union yesterday to revise the Schengen border treaty that permits passport-free travel through Europe to take into account "exceptional" situations like the recent massive flood of Tunisian immigrants.
Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi and French President Nicolas Sarkozy said they had signed a joint letter to the EU during a summit yesterday and had appointed officials to work on the issue.
"We want Schengen to survive, but to survive Schengen must be reformed," Sarkozy told reporters after the meeting in Rome. "We believe in free circulation but we believe in a state of law and a certain number of rules."
Berlusconi said no one wanted to cancel the treaty but said "in exceptional circumstances we believe there must be variations."
France has criticized Italy for granting temporary residency permits to some 20,000 Tunisian immigrants who have arrived in Italy since the North Africa nation's dictator was overthrown in mid-January. Most want eventually to get to France, Tunisia's former colonial ruler, where many have relatives.
France last week stopped a train carrying Tunisian immigrants from Italy at the French border, sending back those who could not support themselves financially.
Despite the tensions, Berlusconi and Sarkozy said relations remained strong.
In their letter to the EU, the two leaders said the 27-bloc must present a bill to reform the Schengen treaty this year, including bolstering the EU border control agency Frontex. The treaty must include the "possibility of re-establishing temporary internal border controls in case of exceptional difficulties."
Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi and French President Nicolas Sarkozy said they had signed a joint letter to the EU during a summit yesterday and had appointed officials to work on the issue.
"We want Schengen to survive, but to survive Schengen must be reformed," Sarkozy told reporters after the meeting in Rome. "We believe in free circulation but we believe in a state of law and a certain number of rules."
Berlusconi said no one wanted to cancel the treaty but said "in exceptional circumstances we believe there must be variations."
France has criticized Italy for granting temporary residency permits to some 20,000 Tunisian immigrants who have arrived in Italy since the North Africa nation's dictator was overthrown in mid-January. Most want eventually to get to France, Tunisia's former colonial ruler, where many have relatives.
France last week stopped a train carrying Tunisian immigrants from Italy at the French border, sending back those who could not support themselves financially.
Despite the tensions, Berlusconi and Sarkozy said relations remained strong.
In their letter to the EU, the two leaders said the 27-bloc must present a bill to reform the Schengen treaty this year, including bolstering the EU border control agency Frontex. The treaty must include the "possibility of re-establishing temporary internal border controls in case of exceptional difficulties."
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