New European regulations aim to bolster Schengen border security, fight terrorism

The European Union has reached an informal agreement to adopt three draft regulations, related to the Schengen Area, which aim to strengthen its fight against terrorism and help increase its security.

The agreement, reached between the European Council and the European Parliament will further regulate the use of the Schengen Information System for judicial matters, border control, and for issues relates to the return of third country nationals.

Labour Party MEP Miriam Dalli was part of the negotiating team which concluded the agreement on the draft regulations, which also introduce additional categories of border alerts, including those related to unknown suspects of wanted persons.

In a statement Dalli highlighted how SIS tools can be used to prevent and fight child abduction, or cases of missing children, too, through the use of preventive alerts. “It was important for me to not only to address the fight against human trafficking and child abduction, but to also ensure that their fundamental rights with regards to their personal data are protected,” she said.

She underlined that, over the past years, the challenges of migration and terrorism have become increasingly interlinked, as she highlighted a 2017 study by the Danish Institute for International Studies which revealed that in the last decade, the great majority of individuals involved in perpetrating terrorist attacks in Europe were European Union citizens.

The study showed that many of these were originally foreign fighters, and most were already known to the European authorities, the statement said, making the exchange of information among police and judicial authorities in criminal matters, and in the field of border checks, essential. The agreement reached also includes alerts for the purpose of the return of third-country nationals whose asylum requests are rejected. 

“We have the tools to guarantee the safety of our citizens. Now, it is up to the Member States to properly implement the Schengen legislation,” Dalli added.