French President Proposes Amendment to Europe-Wide Immigration Policy

On April 26, at the first major press conference since the Yellow Vest protests broke out in November 2018, Mr. Macron announced a series of policy measures to appease protesters, including a proposal to amend the European immigration policy and the Schengen Agreement.

French President Emmanuel Macron proposed narrowing the Schengen area. Photo: BBC

The French leader reportedly argued that the treaty guaranteeing free movement within the Schengen area was no longer relevant. Similarly, he said, the current Common European Asylum Policy, also known as the Dublin Regulation, which determines which EU member state is responsible for receiving asylum seekers, was also ineffective.

The Dublin Regulation, which allows an EU member state to send asylum seekers back to the first country they arrive in, was approved by the European Court of Justice in 2017. Under the current version of the regulation – which came into force in 2013 and applies to all EU member states except Denmark – the main criterion for determining responsibility is the first point of reception.

The French president has called for increased border security, which could lead to a smaller Schengen area. The Schengen area currently comprises 26 countries, including 22 EU members and four non-members: Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It is named after the 1985 Schengen Agreement, which abolished internal borders and allowed people within the area to move freely from one country to another.

Calls for a reform of the Dublin Regulation have been raised since the 2015 refugee and migration crisis in Europe led to backlogs and a disproportionate burden on southern EU countries. While the regulation remains in force, the European Commission (EC) has deemed it outdated. In 2016, the EC proposed reforms to the Dublin System, including a fair allocation mechanism to ensure all countries receive migrants fairly.