Page 9 - ATD13Febr2016

WORLD NEWS 9
Saturday 13 February 2016

APNewsBreak: EU poised to restrict passport-free travel

the border management 2015, European countries of EU justice and home af-
on its islands. Two draft as- are reluctant to dismantle fairs ministers last month
sessments forwarded to the their emergency border showed they decided that
Greek government in early controls. And if they keep declaring Greece to have
January indicated Athens them in place without au- failed in its upgrade was
was making progress, al- thorization, EU officials fear “the only way” for Europe
though they noted “impor- the entire concept of the to extend the time for bor-
tant shortcomings” in han- open-travel zone could be der checks. The official said
dling migrant flows. brought down. they agreed to invoke the
But with asylum-seekers A summary written by an two-year rule under Ar-
still coming at a pace official in the EU’s Dutch ticle 26 of the open-travel
ten times that of January presidency for a meeting agreement.q

A car drives out of Schengen, Luxembourg and into Contz-les-
Bains, France. European Union countries are poised to reverse a
decades-old trend of expanding passport-free travel by invok-
ing an emergency rule to impose controls at several borders for
two more years because of the migration crisis, according to
European Union documents seen on Friday, Feb. 12, 2016.

(AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

D. GATOPOULOS paring to make unprec-
R. CASERT edented use of an emer-
Associated Press gency provision by declar-
BRUSSELS (AP) — Euro- ing that Greece is failing
pean Union countries are to sufficiently protect it
poised to restrict passport- border. Some 2,000 people
free travel by invoking an are still arriving daily on
emergency rule to keep Greek islands in smugglers’
some border controls for boats from Turkey, most of
two more years because them keen to move deep-
of the migration crisis and er into Europe to wealthier
Greece’s troubles in con- countries like Germany
trolling its border, accord- and Sweden.
ing to EU documents seen A European official showed
by The Associated Press. the documents to the AP
The switch would reverse on condition of anonymity
a decades-old trend of because the documents
expanding passport-free are confidential. Greek
travel in Europe. government officials de-
Since 1995, people have clined to comment on the
been able to cross borders content of documents not
among Schengen Area made public.
member countries without In Brussels on Friday, EU
document checks. Each nations acknowledged
of the current 26 countries that the overall function-
in the Schengen Area is al- ing of Schengen “is at seri-
lowed to unilaterally put up ous risk” and said Greece
border controls for a maxi- must make further efforts to
mum of six months, but that address “serious deficien-
time limit can be extend- cies” within the next three
ed for up to two years if a months.
member is found to be fail- European inspectors visited
ing to protect its borders. Greek border sites in No-
The documents show that vember and gave Athens
EU policy makers are pre- until early May to upgrade