Possible delay in extending Schengen system to new Member States
19.9.2006
WRITTEN QUESTION E-4137/06
by Bogdan Klich (PPE‑DE)
to the Commission
The Schengen area covers parts of European Union territory where Member States have abolished passport controls at frontiers in order to facilitate travel, thereby establishing one of the fundamental freedoms underlying the idea of a common Europe, the freedom for Member States citizens to travel between the countries of the Union. Some time ago, October 2007 was set as the date on which the new Member States, including Poland, were to join the Schengen system. The conclusions to the Brussels European Council of 16 June 2006 spoke of the need to do everything possible to ensure that this deadline was met.
There are now those in the Commission saying that a delay in extending the Schengen system is unavoidable. As a Polish Member of the European Parliament, I disagree profoundly with the approach adopted by the Commission. It is unacceptable that the delays in building premises to house the SIS II headquarters, the problems with the tender procedure for computers and software or the excessively long process for establishing a legal base for SIS II, should oblige millions of citizens from the new Member States of the Union to continue to stand in passport queues at borders.
This state of affairs relegates Poles and others to the rank of second-class EU citizens. Every delay in extending the Schengen agreement will serve only to increase the frustrations with accession felt by citizens of the new Member States. The October 2007 deadline initially set is still a long way off and the Commission should do all in its power to ensure that it is met. In the light of the above, will the Commission answer the following:
- 1.When will the Schengen agreement finally be extended to the new Member States of the Union, including Poland?
- 2.What will the Commission do to ensure that the deadline of October 2007 initially set for extending the agreement is met?
OJ C 329, 30/12/2006