BRUSSELS: Germany, France, Italy and other EU countries that have put in place border controls with other nations in the bloc should move to phase them out, Brussels said Tuesday.
The European Commission said the bloc’s new external digital border check system and the imminent coming into force of a migration pact strengthening screening procedures lessened the need for internal controls.
“With these conditions in place, member states are in the position to work toward phasing out controls at internal borders,” said Magnus Brunner, the EU’s commissioner for migration.
Free movement is the rule within the EU’s Schengen area and countries can put up checks at the frontier with fellow members only if they feel there is a threat to public order or internal security.
Such measures should be exceptional and temporary — in principle not lasting more than two years.
