EU Council adopts Schengen reform package

The Council of the European Union on Monday adopted a reform package on the Schengen governance in a bid to make free movement and border control more efficient in the visa-free zone covering 26 European countries.



A new EU-based Schengen evaluation mechanism and an amendment on the current Schegen borders code were adopted, which would lay down common rules for temporary re-introduction of border controls at internal borders in exceptional circumstances.



Under the new evaluation mechanism, EU experts may conduct announced and unannounced on-site inspections to make sure that Schengen rules are being correctly followed. The amendment, meanwhile, will allow member states to re-introduce border checks when "there is a serious threat to public policy or internal security."



Referred to as "free movement of persons within the EU", the Schengen system has long abolished frontier checks between 22 participating EU countries plus Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland, bringing travel convenience in a visa-free zone for both Europeans and holders of Schengen visa issued by any of the 26 countries.



The system was under huge pressure following a sudden influx of migrants from North African countries in 2011, which triggered reform proposal from the European Commission to strengthen its governance.

