About: border controls
EU to start opening external borders from July
The European Union will fully open internal borders by the end of June and begin lifting restrictions on travel to and from other countries in July, EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson said on Friday (5 June).
Commission calls for full reopening of borders within EU
The European Commission on Thursday (4 June) called on EU member states to lift all border restrictions by the end of June, Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson told Euronews, saying the virus situation was “fast improving” in many countries. “We...
Austria lifting coronavirus border checks with all neighbours bar Italy
Austria is lifting coronavirus-related border restrictions including quarantines for all neighbouring countries except Italy as of Thursday (4 June), the foreign minister said on Wednesday.
Sadness on the border as France turns back Belgian trippers
For hundreds of Belgians hoping to spend time with French friends and relatives after almost three months of lockdown, the sunny holiday weekend proved a grim disappointment.
Border controls: state of emergency becoming state of normality
Germany, as well as other EU member states in the Schengen area, is extending the period of random border checks. The EU Commission is not pleased. EURACTIV’s media partner Der Tagesspiegel reports.
New France-UK cooperation plan to tackle illegal Channel crossings
France and the United Kingdom are trying to stem the number of illegal crossings made by migrants across the Channel, with a new cooperation plan to be announced in the coming weeks. EURACTIV France reports.
Northern Africa: Europe’s new border guard?
As another EU summit gets underway, Leïla Bodeux and Davide Gnes wonder what values Europeans are willing to give up in order to stop migration.
If we fail to reform the Dublin Regulation, everybody loses – especially children
If European leaders won't agree on a working intra-European solidarity mechanism, Europe's free movement zone will be at risk and many more children will lose their lives trying to reach safety and shelter in Europe, writes Karen Mets.
MEPs want to revive the Schengen area
The European Parliament calls for the accession of Romania, Croatia and Bulgaria to the passport-free Schengen area, which has suffered setbacks with the reintroduction of internal border checks since 2015. EURACTIV.fr reports.
Migrant rights increasingly flouted in Europe, report says
The European Agency for Fundamental Rights points out in its report five persistent challenges for migration to the EU, from access to territory, to asylum procedures and unaccompanied children.
EU Northern Ireland offer sparks Brexit war of words
An EU proposal to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland after Brexit has prompted a war of words between London and Brussels, with UK Prime Minister Theresa May saying it would threaten the “constitutional integrity” of the UK.
Leak: ‘Temporary’ internal Schengen border checks could last four years
The European Union's executive offered initial backing yesterday (14 September) to a Franco-German proposal to allow more permanent border checks within the bloc's Schengen free-travel zone.
Hard border could spell the end for Northern Ireland’s dairy processors
Controls on the Irish border could make the island’s dairy industry “unworkable”, while tariffs could force Northern Irish milk processors out of business altogether, the sector has warned.
Spanish MEP wants ‘migration-style’ controls on food imports at the EU border
Spanish Partido Popular MEP Esther Herranz wants to harmonise the EU's border controls to protect food and plant products and prevent pests. EURACTIV’s partner EFEAgro reports.
Irish PM warns turning goodwill into border solution looks ‘extremely difficult’
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said on Wednesday (28 June) it will be practically and legally "extremely difficult" to find ways to maintain an open border with Northern Ireland after Brexit.
Slovenia says tougher EU border checks ‘unacceptable’
Newly-introduced tougher checks on the EU's external borders aimed at stopping suspected Islamist fighters from Iraq and Syria are "unacceptable" and should be amended, Slovenian Prime Minister Miro Cerar said yesterday (9 April).
Gibraltar traffic jams as Brexit row heats up
Gibraltar yesterday (5 April) accused Spain of causing long traffic jams with tightened border controls, saying it was "clearly a response" to rising political tensions over the British territory.
Brexit border talks doomed to fail, warns Gerry Adams
Gerry Adams, leader of Irish nationalist party Sinn Fein, told EURACTIV that any customs posts set up at the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland would mark a return to a hard border 12 years after military checkpoints disappeared between the two countries.
Oxfam: World’s richest countries host just 9% of all refugees
The six biggest economies in the world currently host only 2.1 million refugees between them, while the poorest countries are forced to bear most of the burden, according to a new report by Oxfam. EURACTIV France reports.
Brexit threatens to undo UK’s Calais border deal
The bilateral agreement on the policing of the UK border on French territory could be one of the first victims of Brexit. EURACTIV France reports.
Commission approves extending border checks at internal Schengen borders
The European Commission approved today (4 May) extending by six months controls at several frontiers inside the free-travel Schengen area, saying checks were justified by deficiencies in Greece's management of the bloc's external border.
Commission to give green light to extension of border controls
The European Commission wants to give Germany and other member states the option of extending internal border controls beyond the middle of May. EURACTIV's partner Der Tagesspiegel reports.
Ban Ki-moon attacks Austria’s ‘restrictive’ asylum policies
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon spoke in front of the Austrian parliament today (28 April) and called upon the international community to find a solution to the refugee crisis. EURACTIV Germany reports.