Schengen moves north but France digs in

Date: 21/12/1995

By Rory Watson

THE Schengen Convention is set to move further northwards next year as preparations are made to extend the passport-free zone to five Nordic countries.

Schengen's executive committee set the target yesterday (20 December) of giving the five - Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Norway and Iceland - observer status from

1 May, after inviting them to their next meeting in April.

The impetus given to the extension of Schengen helped alleviate disappointment over the French government's confirmation to its six partners that it would keep in place “for a few more months” the border checks it introduced in the summer.

French European Affairs Minister Michel Barnier told the meeting: “We are not lifting the safeguard clause.”

The controls were put in place before the spate of terrorist attacks later in the year which led to the deployment of 32,000 police and military personnel throughout France. In justifying their retention beyond the end of 1995, Barnier insisted that the threat of attacks remained, adding: “We have the proof. We have to remain vigilant.”

However, French Interior Minister Jean-Louis Debré announced on the eve of the meeting that he would, within a few weeks, lift passport controls at airports for passengers flying to and from other member countries.

Paris accepts that improvements have been made in the technical operation of the convention in recent months as the Belgian presidency worked through its 11-point action programme. These have involved clarification on granting visas and use of the zone's computer system. But the French government remains unconvinced that sufficient progress has been made to ensure adequate safeguards against drugs trafficking and international crime.

Schengen members are hopeful that a Franco-Dutch-German summit on 7 March, which will also be attended by representatives from Belgium and Luxembourg, will clear the way for an agreed anti-drugs strategy. France and the Netherlands, widely seen as at opposite ends of the spectrum on drugs policy, are involved in a series of bilateral meetings and at last weekend's Madrid summit, French President Jacques Chirac specifically raised the possibility of harmonising the EU's approach.

Despite the delays, Belgian Interior Minister Johan Vande Lanotte, who chaired yesterday's meeting in his home town of Ostend, expressed confidence in the convention and stressed that France's partners had fully understood its predicament.

“We are convinced that before too long we will have complete application of Schengen, that the last 10&percent; will be possible in not too long a time,” he said.

Observers refused to speculate this week on whether France would be able to operate all the terms of the Schengen Convention fully by the time of its first anniversary on 26 March. But Dutch European Affairs Minister Michiel Patijn, who takes over the Schengen presidency on 1 January, admitted that if it did, “it would be a good birthday present”.

Patijn will be in charge of continuing the negotiations between Schengen and the three Nordic countries - Denmark, Finland and Sweden - who wish to become members and the two non-EU countries - Norway and Iceland - who are unable to join the convention, but are seeking the closest possible cooperation.

The major technical challenge facing negotiators is to construct a formula to allow the three EU countries to join Schengen without creating new barriers in the 40-year-old passport-free zone they operate with Norway and Iceland.