Chairman European Commission (EC) Ursula von der Leyen announced at the “Schengen Forum” video conference her intention to improve the Schengen space.
According to von der Leyen, Europeans are accustomed to open borders, but the coronavirus pandemic has shown what will happen if Schengen stops working. She stressed that the agreement needs to be improved and strengthened.
In particular, the President of the EC pointed out the need to fully secure the external border by strengthening control, introducing modern systems, as well as quick and well-coordinated procedures. In addition, she proposed to ensure security through close cooperation of the police of European countries and the rapid exchange of data on suspects, as well as to strengthen the role of Europol. At the same time, von der Leyen said that checks at internal borders should be a last resort.
In March, the President of France Emmanuel Macron called the coronavirus epidemic a threat to existence European Union . He noted that it threatens such fundamental principles of the Schengen agreement as the absence of borders.