Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau has formally notified the European Commission, stating that the checks are necessary due to “serious threats to public order and domestic security posed by high levels of terrorist activities, the increasing presence of criminal networks facilitating irregular migration and trafficking, and migratory flows that risk being infiltrated by radicalised individuals.”
Retailleau, a staunch right-wing figure advocating for stricter immigration controls in France, emphasised the need for border checks during a Friday visit with Prime Minister Michel Barnier to the town of Menton, near the Italian border.
While France has frequently implemented temporary checks at specific borders for security reasons—particularly since the 2015 terror attacks and during the Covid-19 pandemic – this marks the first instance of widespread checks across all borders since the Schengen zone was established in 1995.
Since 2011, several countries have introduced additional controls at their Schengen borders due to concerns about clandestine migration.
Currently, travellers between France and Schengen zone countries typically face no checks, although sporadic inspections do occur.
The new checks will apply to all modes of transport – air, sea, and land – although, in other European nations that have reinstated checks, police presence has primarily focused on vehicles crossing the border by car or bus.
For practical reasons, it is expected that the checks will be conducted sporadically rather than for every traveller.
The EU specifies that while a country may reintroduce checks if deemed necessary, they must be “proportionate and limited to the minimum time necessary to ensure safety.”
Since Germany reintroduced its border checks, there have been reports of traffic jams at the borders, even though not every vehicle is subjected to inspection.
There are also concerns about how these checks will impact cross-border workers, as many people live near the borders with Switzerland and Luxembourg and commute to work daily.
Luxembourg Prime Minister Luc Frieden stated in an RTL news interview that he discussed the matter with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, expressing his belief that “this is not a good idea.”
When travelling within the Schengen zone, all travellers must present either an ID card issued by an EU country or a passport.
In France, ID cards are only available to French citizens, meaning foreigners living in France will need either an ID card from an EU country (if they are an EU citizen) or a passport for travel.
Other French documents, such as a carte de séjour or a driver’s license, are not acceptable as travel identification. Non-EU citizens residing in France must show both their passport and carte de séjour when entering or leaving France to avoid having their passport stamped.
These regulations have always existed but are often overlooked due to the lax enforcement of checks at Schengen zone borders – until now.
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Publish date : 2024-10-21 05:34:00
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