Emmanuel Macron, November 6, 2020 in Paris.

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Ludovic MARIN / POOL / AFP

  • At the initiative of Emmanuel Macron, France, Austria, Germany and the EU are holding a mini-summit on Tuesday by videoconference to try to strengthen the European response to terrorism.

  • The French president spoke last week in favor of a "in-depth" reform of the rules governing the Schengen area of ​​free movement in Europe.

  • "The question of the reform of the Schengen area is an old story that begins with its creation in the 1980s", recalls Sabine Saurugger, professor at Sciences Po Grenoble.

Should we review free movement agreements in Europe to fight terrorism?

The Schengen agreement, which bears the name of the Luxembourg city where it was signed, has been in crisis for several years.

With the Nice and Vienna attacks, and the attack against Samuel Paty, the issue is once again a priority in Europe, where more and more voices are being raised to demand greater control of the external borders.

While a mini-summit is due to bring together the EU to take stock of the fight against terrorism on Tuesday, Emmanuel Macron once again expressed his intention to “fundamentally” overhaul the rules governing the Schengen area, arguing that the fight against illegal immigration is part of the fight against terrorism.

He intends to present the first proposals in this direction to the European Council in December, with the objective of “succeeding under the French Presidency” of the Council in 2022.

"We did not wait for Emmanuel Macron"

With the attacks in Nice and Vienna, "a window of opportunity has opened for Emmanuel Macron, to reiterate his reform proposals that he already announced last year, this time counting on wider support from others. Member States, ”explains Sabine Saurugger, university professor in political science and director of research at Sciences Po Grenoble.

“The question of the reform of the Schengen area is an old story that begins with its creation in the 1980s,” she recalls.

In times of crisis, it has become a "hot topic" in Europe.

"The Schengen area was built in times of peace, but we now realize that it must be able to manage times of tension in Europe", adds Edouard Simon, research director at the Institut de international and strategic relations (Iris).

“This is the ambition that is carried by Emmanuel Macron in his statements.

Even if at European level, we did not wait for the French President to reform the Schengen area, ”adds Edouard Simon.

"It's even in the European Commission's work program," he recalls.

The reform of the Schengen package must be presented in the second quarter of 2021 to strengthen the management of the Union's external borders and preserve the free movement of people within the European area.

The impossible task of border countries

The Schengen area is one of the pillars of Europe: it guarantees the free movement of people and goods within the European Union.

It allows to go from Lisbon to Warsaw or from Amsterdam to Bari without encountering any physical border.

A freedom which is accompanied by a heavy responsibility for certain States of the Union.

"The problem of the Schengen area is the management of the external borders", points out Edouard Simon.

“It was left unilaterally at the expense of border member states.

Even though the management of these borders is an issue for the entire Union.

But what happened in Vienna clearly shows that this management also concerns the states which are not frontiers, ”he explains.

The countries affected by the arrivals of migrants are obviously southern countries such as Italy or Greece, but also Poland, which welcomes Belarusians or Ukrainians fleeing conflicts in their country.

A question at the heart of tomorrow's Europe

What concrete solutions are the heads of state proposing, including Emmanuel Macron, to strengthen border controls in Europe?

Difficult to say precisely, the question is so complex.

The leads unveiled so far show that Europe is moving towards strengthening European forces for Frontex border controls.

"It is also a question of strengthening cooperation, and creating a new framework, allowing binding rules", adds Sabine Saurugger.

And the subject is becoming more and more significant in Europe.

“We have seen a rise in these themes since 2016,” notes Edouard Simon.

“So much so that the President of the European Council Charles Michel speaks of European strategic autonomy as the project of a generation.

Sovereign issues such as border management, security and defense are becoming the heart of European cooperation, which until now was focused on economic issues, ”he points out.

A major challenge that Emmanuel Macron will have to defend in early 2022, in the middle of the presidential campaign.

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  • Terrorism

  • Society

  • Emmanuel Macron

  • EU

  • Schengen area