News   /   EU

EU to discuss Schengen with Sweden, Denmark

Danish police set up a border control point on January 5, 2016, at the border town of Krusa bei Flensburg. (AFP photo)

The European Union is to host emergency talks with Sweden and Denmark about new measures they have taken at borders to stem the flow of refugees which raised concerns over EU’s Schengen zone.

EU Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos on Tuesday called on the two countries plus Germany to attend the talks, after Denmark imposed spot controls on its border with Germany and Sweden implemented its own checks on travelers from Denmark.

The border checks, which was initially imposed by Germany, Austria and France have sparked concern about EU’s much-boasted Schenegn free-travel system, a 1995 treaty which allows free travel between 22 members of the EU and four other countries.

The spokesman of the European Commission, EU’s executive body, said the talks on checks will aim to reach a solution for better management of the refugee crisis that the countries are facing.

“The goal of this meeting is to improve coordination between the concerned countries,” said Margaritis Schinas, adding that Swedish Migration Minister Morgan Johansson, Danish Immigration Minister Inger Stoejberg and Ole Schroder, a German interior ministry official, will attend the meeting in Brussels.

Europe is facing its worst refugee crisis in decades. Most of refugees are escaping the foreign-backed militancy in the Middle East while there are also refugees coming from impoverished African states. Sweden, which is the EU’s front-runner in admitting the refugees considering its size of population, said recently it could no longer cope with the unregulated flow of arrivals.

Sweden has also imposed mandatory presentation of IDs for refugees traveling between Denmark and Sweden, a first such move since the late 1950s, when a Nordic agreement on passport-free travel came into force.

Denmark also implemented controls at its border with Germany on Monday to limit the flow of refugees entering the country.

The two countries informed the European Commission about the new measures they adopted on Monday, although Brussels said it is studying the legality of the actions.


Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk

SHARE THIS ARTICLE
Press TV News Roku