MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The European Union should suspend the Schengen agreement and establish control on the borders between the member states or its leaders will be responsible for not ensuring public safety amid an imminent terrorist threat, a member of the European Parliament from France, told Sputnik France on Monday.
"Either the Schengen agreement should be suspended or [the EU leadership] will have to assume the responsibility for terrorist acts on the territory of the European Union, since it is well known that it is impossible to say whether terrorists hid in the flow of refugees," Marie-Christine Arnautu said.
She added that the restoration of full-pledged border control at the moment is a matter of public safety and the only way to avoid "a real war" inside the bloc.
On Sunday, Germany temporarily restricted entry to migrants through the country's southern border, with an "initial focus" on the border with Austria. The move came after authorities registered the arrival of 13,000 undocumented immigrants in the southern city of Munich in a single day.
The moves caused public outcries, perceived as going against the spirit of the Schengen zone, which allows the free movement of people throughout most EU member states.
Many European countries are trying to cope with the tens of thousands of undocumented asylum seekers from conflict-torn countries in the Middle East and North Africa who are fleeing to Europe to escape poverty and violence at home. Over 500,000 migrants have arrived in the European Union since the beginning of 2015, according to the European Commission.
