Seeking what he described as a “refoundation” of the Schengen area, President Macron is moving to strengthen both the security of the 26-country bloc and France’s national borders. Macron’s call for “a deep overhaul of Schengen to rethink its organization”.
On Thursday, Macron declared he would increase security at France’s borders two-fold, in effect doubling the amount of French military personnel and police. In the same speech, he announced his intent to propose new initiatives to the European Council in December 2020, intended to strengthen the collective security of the Schengen area. Open borders are a cornerstone of the Schengen Agreement, which abolished border controls for its member countries in an effort to facilitate freedom of movement for European citizens. However, despite the success of the bloc, some argue that the Schengen area, which consists of 26 European countries bound by a common border policy, has undermined national and collective European security by fostering the free movement of dangerous and illegal individuals. Linking terrorism with illegal immigration to the Schengen area, Macron sought to downplay the seemingly abrupt nature of his demands, describing them as the evolution of France’s larger security strategy several years in the making. If adopted by the European Council, France’s “refoundation” of the Schengen area will not likely go into effect until early 2022, when the country becomes president of the Council of the E.U.
Macron’s most recent remarks on immigration were delivered during a visit to southern Spain, often described as France’s least secure border due to Spain’s proximity to Morocco and its identity as the first European point of entry for North African migrants (many of whom ultimately end up in France and Germany. In addition to Spain, mainland France is bordered by five European countries; all (in effect) Schengen states.
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