PM: Schengen needs European agreement
The Danish government has stopped all train travel from Germany. Photo: AFP
The Icelandic PM Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson has said that Europe needs to agree on measures and goals if it is to safeguard the future of the ‘Schengen Area’.
The Schengen Area is made up of 22 of the 28 Member States of the European Union (EU) and the four Member States of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), including Iceland.
Internal border controls have been abolished within the Schengen Area and external borders strengthened. Iceland has been a member of Schengen since 2001.
Europe’s current refugee crisis has placed strain on the principles of Schengen Area cooperation, with some Member States unilaterally restoring border checks and blocking cross-border traffic.
Speaking on Icelandic radio this morning, Gunnlaugsson indicated that, like it or not, people are beginning to take a second look at how Schengen works and that there seems to be little sign of agreement among participating States.
He deplores failures to secure the Area’s external borders and the fact that Schengen countries seem to be pulling in different directions.
“The refugee crisis is so big that it can only be resolved by European nations agreeing on a common solution,” says Gunnlaugsson.
In the PM’s view, the current situation of welcoming with open arms fleeing refugees who make it into Schengen at the same time as banning them from flying into the Area sends a dangerous message that people need only find illegal traffickers to get them in and they will be welcomed.
Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson PM. Photo: Árni Sæberg
