Schengen monument, LuxenbourgPoland's Minister for European Affairs, Mikolaj Dowgielewicz, has expressed concern about the shake-up of the Schengen arrangement proposed last week by France and Italy.
“The first goal that we must try and accomplish is the saving of Schengen,” he told Polskie Radio in an interview this morning.
The comments come in the wake of France and Italy's request to change border controls as a result of the stream of refugees entering Europe – largely through Italy – from North Africa.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has already initiated customs checks on his country's border with Italy.
“It cannot simply be arbitrary,” the Polish minister added, “ it is important the European Commission has the right to veto decisions.”
In response to France and Italy's move, the EU Commission has already tentatively suggested temporary measures to relax Schengen rules, but it is at pains to stress that they should remain just that:
"I think it is very important not to undermine the whole idea of Schengen, that it is not done unilaterally, and that it is based on very well-defined criteria that are limited in time and that there is a European decision around this," said EU Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom, last week. Otherwise, I think we will risk the whole system."
Meanwhile, Dowgielewicz added that the handling of the North African crisis was to be a key issue in Poland's forthcoming presidency of the EU, which begins on 1 July.
“The European Commission will present its proposals concerning this policy in late May,” the minister said. “Only then can the presidency decide on how to conduct negotiations regarding documents,” he said.
The EU is expecting a major influx of refugees from North Africa this summer, following on from the 25000 that have already arrived in Europe, principally on Malta and the Italian coast. (nh)