On June 10, the Schengen Council will discuss at the next meeting new opportunities and tools for managing the Schengen area. The discussion will be based on the State of Schengen Report presented by the European Commission at the end of May.
“Over the past year, we have taken decisive steps to further strengthen the governance of the Schengen area and restore confidence in this vital engine of our economy. Today’s reports reflect an unwavering commitment to ensure that Schengen becomes stronger due to the many challenges it faces,” said European Commission Vice President Margaritis Schinas.
Priority actions until the end of 2023, in particular, include the development of a new IT architecture to enable secure border management. It is also planned to conduct systematic checks at the external borders of all arrivals.
The main deliberative body of Europe intends to do away with lengthy border controls at internal borders, as well as to achieve the adoption of an amended Schengen border code.
The Schengen State Report also identifies the main pathways for integrated border management, including border control, search and rescue, risk analysis, EU and international cooperation, fundamental rights, research, innovation, education, and training. It also includes systematic checks of relevant databases on all persons crossing the external borders of the EU.