Schengen, migration, asylum and security in times of COVID-19
MEPs will quiz Commissioner Johansson on the future of the border-free Schengen zone, common migration and asylum policy and security in the context of the pandemic.
In a debate in the Civil Liberties Committee on Thursday afternoon, MEPs will try to clarify how the Commission plans to ensure that temporary controls on the internal borders, reintroduced following the COVID-19 outbreak, are lifted in a coordinated manner. In a plenary resolution adopted on 17 April, the Parliament stressed that “border controls and restrictions on movement must remain proportionate and exceptional… all freedom of movement should be re-established as soon as it is deemed feasible.”
The much-awaited proposal on a new Pact for Asylum and Migration will also be raised with Ylva Johansson, as well as the situation of migrants and refugees at the EU’s external borders and on the main migration routes.
MEPs will also look at the general security situation in the EU, in relation to the pandemic. In a report published in March, Europol warned that criminals are already adapting their modus operandi in view of COVID-19 and engaging in new criminal activities.
When: Thursday, 7 May, from 14.20 to 16.15
Where: European Parliament in Brussels, room (4Q1), ANTALL building, and via videoconference.
You can follow the meeting live.
