EU gives Greece 3 months deadline to strengthen its border

EU member states gave Greece a three-month ultimatum to remedy “deficiencies” in controlling the migrant flow or face border controls with the rest of the Schengen passport-free zone.

The European Council adopted a recommendation on addressing serious deficiencies identified during an evaluation of Greece’s application of the Schengen acquis in the area of external border management. The recommendation proposes to Greece remedial action to address these deficiencies.

The action recommended covers areas such as registration procedures, sea border surveillance, border check procedures, risk analyses, human resources and training, infrastructure and equipment and international cooperation.

The recommendation acknowledges that the EU currently faces an unprecedented migratory and refugee, which means that several member states have experienced difficulties in ensuring adequate external border controls in accordance with the Schengen acquis.

The recommendation also notes that Greece has taken a number of measures to deal with the situation, but that given the scale of the situation, further efforts are needed.

Moreover, it stresses that the overall functioning of the Schengen area is at serious risk. The difficulties faced by Greece have an impact on the EU as a whole, and have to be resolved collectively.

If Greece fails to remedy the problems by mid-May, European Commission could authorize other member states to exceptionally extend border controls within the Schengen area for up to two years, instead of the normal six months, as article 26 of the Schengen border code provides.