Schengen: "Mobile frontiers" introduced
01 November 1995
At the meeting of the Schengen Executive Committee on 24 October agreed a proposal by Germany to recognise the creation of "mobile patrols" and "mobile frontiers" under bilateral agreements between Schengen countries. France had taken the lead on the issue having already concluded 10 bilateral agreements with Belgium, Germany and Spain; Germany has signed agreements with France and Luxembourg. These agreements allow the setting on joint patrol of police to carry out checks - not at the borders which is against the spirit of the Schengen Agreement - but at what are being called "mobile frontiers" either side of the formal borders.
The French European Affairs Minister Michel Barnier said: "In France, we can see the usefulness of such controls. The Schengen Convention does not envisage completely abolishing controls within Schengen, just at frontiers. We now have the concept of mobile controls and mobile frontiers which could be more effective than fixed controls". Early a French Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Jacques Rummelhardt, said: "We don't need less Schengen, what's needed is more and better Schengen. The problem is not access for citizens of countries who have signed the agreement but access for citizens of third countries."
The French-Spanish bilateral agreement does not however appear to be working. During the summer the French unilaterally reintroduced frontier checks on the Spanish border and the later introduction of French army patrols has led to major traffic jams. In November this led the Governor of Gerona to reintroduce checks at La Jonquera on the Spanish side. The Governor said that although there was a re-admission treaty between the two country permitting the return of "illegal" immigrant this did not work when there had been a major growth in numbers as a result of countrywide French security checks in reaction to bombing. "If you find someone illegally on the frontier there is no problem, but if you find them 100 kilometres from the frontier there is a discussion whether they did or did not arrive from France", he said.
The same meeting of Schengen Executive it was agreed to give the go-ahead for negotiations with the countries of the Nordic Passport Union. This would allow Norway and Iceland who are not members of the EU to become "associate" members of Schengen (see Statewatch vol 5 no 2).
German assessment of Schengen
In September the German government issued a report to the Bundestag on the first six months of Schengen in operation. The report says that the main function of guards at the borders of other Schengen members is dealing with individuals who are sent back to Germany. Between April-July 1995 the total was 7,556 cases and was attributed to intensive identity checks by the Dutch and French.
Around 9,000 of the 30,000 entry points to the Schengen Information System (SIS) are in Germany: 7,000 police forces of the Federal states (Landes); 1070 Federal Border Control; 700 Federal Criminal Office, 7 Federal Criminal Office (SIRENE); 2 Customs Criminal Office. In mid-summer Germany has provided 2.3 million of the 3.4 entries on the SIS and France 1 million.
The "most important part" of the SIS is identifying individuals to be refused entry. Between 26 March and 8 September 4,261 people were refused entry, to France 80%, Benelux 20%, as a result of information provided by Germany. 10% concerned asylum seekers who had obtained temporary or permanent documents.
Although a number of cross border police operations had been carried out the German government: "intends to press for harmonisation on the basis that foreign police should have unhindered ability to give chase and make arrests in neighbouring territory, unlimited by time or distance".
Agence Europe, 26.10.95; European Report, 28.10.95; European Voice, 26.10.95; European, 16.11.95; Reuters, 20.10.95; Report of the views of the government on the first six months of the implementation of the Schenge