EU leaders will discuss the proposed revision of the Schengen agreement at a summit next month, as prompted by France and Italy – although the Guardian reported that, at a meeting of EU interior ministers, “15 of the 22 EU states which had signed up to Schengen supported the move, with only four resisting”.
Meanwhile, the European Commission President, José Manuel Barroso, has written a strongly worded letter to the Danish prime minister, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, warning against the Danish Government’s proposals to unilaterally re-introduce border controls. From the BBC report
Cecilia Malmstrom, EU Commissioner for Home Affairs, said later that the commission had “real concerns” over the prospect of “a permanent and visible customs control at all Danish borders”.
The commission, she said, would ask Denmark for information about the legal basis for its envisaged checks.
“I call on the Danish government to refrain from taking unilateral steps and to make sure that any measures taken are in line with the relevant law,” she said.
“The commission stands ready to continue the dialogue with Denmark. But it will, if needed, use the tools at its disposal to guarantee the respect of EU law.”
And that’s all before we reach the real “squeaky bum time in government buildings all over Europe.”
