France has announced it will maintain its internal border controls until April 30, 2025, citing persistent security threats from terrorism and challenges associated with irregular migration. French authorities informed the European Commission that the controls at borders with its six neighboring Schengen countries—Belgium, Spain, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Germany, and Italy—will not end as previously planned on October 31, 2024. As soon as the current measure concludes, France will implement a new one beginning November 1, 2024.
In its notification to the Commission, France highlighted the “serious threats to public policy, public order, and internal security posed by high-level terrorist activities, the growing presence of criminal networks facilitating irregular migration and smuggling, and migration flows that risk infiltration by radicalized individuals.” Additionally, French authorities cited irregular crossings on the Channel and North Sea borders as factors in the decision, along with a surge in violent incidents involving migrants in northern coastal areas such as Dunkirk and Calais. This rise in violence has reportedly created tense and hazardous conditions involving both migrants and law enforcement in these regions.
France’s reintroduction of border controls on May 1, 2024, was initially intended to cover the period up until the Olympic and Paralympic Games in the summer of 2024. However, this was not the first time the French government reinstated such controls. Since the terrorist attacks in Paris on November 15, 2015, France has consistently maintained border controls, starting on December 14, 2015, with an end date of May 26, 2016, which was then extended multiple times for various reasons. So far, French authorities have notified the European Commission nearly 20 times regarding extensions of this measure.
Under the Schengen Borders Code (SBC), EU Member States may introduce temporary border controls as a last resort in exceptional situations. While the SBC allows for the prolongation of such controls, the total period generally should not exceed six months.
In response to the recent decision, France’s new Interior Minister, Bruno Retailleau, has expressed his commitment to more robust measures aimed at curbing irregular migration. Speaking to France 24, Retailleau asserted, “The French people want more order in the streets, order at the borders.” He voiced concern over the potential impact of mass migration on France, warning that the country could be overwhelmed by these migratory pressures.
Data from the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, Frontex, reveals that from January to September 2024, there were 166,000 attempts at irregular border crossings into the EU. Although this figure marks a 42 percent decrease compared to the same period in 2023, worries over irregular migration have led several other Schengen countries to reestablish border controls. Recently, Austria, Germany, Norway, and Denmark informed the European Commission of their decisions to reinstate or prolong border checks.
By fLEXI tEAM
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