Go to Europe now Before Passport-Free Travel Expires
The migration crisis in Europe has far-reaching consequences that are unavoidable, including for travelers who are eager to explore the expansive region freely and more easily. The European Union member countries are leaning toward the termination of passport-free travel by controlling the borders more strictly due to the conflict across the world.
Documents from EU revealed that the different countries gearing up to implement an emergency rule for maintaining border control for two additional years. Reasons cited were the ongoing crisis on migration as well as the struggles of Greece in regulating their borders.
For over two decades, travelers have been crossing the borders in the Schengen Area with no hitches of having to produce documents. The member countries -- currently at 26 -- can have border controls for a maximum of six months, but if a country is determined to be unable to safeguard their borders, this period can lead to an extension of the time limit. Now, EU officials are arranging for such an extension.
Every day, around 2,000 people are making their way to the Greek isles from Turkey in hopes of getting to richer countries in the region. Greece's inability to adequately protect their borders from immigrants have caused the concern of fellow Schengen nations and in an EU meeting last month, an official reported that they came into an agreement regarding the two-year rule.
"With no decrease in migratory pressure and time running out, our ministers agreed ... that the only way to continue beyond the maximum time limit during which these border controls may be carried out is to adopt a (European) Council recommendation under Article 26 of the Schengen Border Code," the official revealed in an email.
In an official EU statement on Friday, the importance of preserving the idea of Schengen was highlighted, even while the challenges of Greece to turn things around were acknowledged by the group.
"The difficulties faced by Greece have an impact on the EU as a whole, and have to be resolved collectively," EU said.
This might not have huge implications to leisure travelers who aren't targeted by the impending rule, but everyone will likely feel the stricter implementations on various checkpoints, long queues at certain entry points and delayed transportation.
Certain countries have already implemented the two-month border controls such as Germany, France, Denmark and Norway. If the EU were to push through with the emergency invocation, they will be allowed to restrict passport-free travel for a total of two years.
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