"While over the past months we have been continuously strengthening our measures to address the unprecedented migratory pressure that Europe is facing, we are not there yet unfortunately. That is why we recommend that the Council allows Member States to continue limited temporary internal border controls for another three months, under strict conditions, and only as a last resort," Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs, and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos said, as quoted in the press release.
The commission stressed that despite progress in stabilizing the situation and the implementation of a series of measures proposed by the Commission to manage the Schengen area's external borders, such as the new European Border and Coast Guard, the conditions allowing for a return to normal border procedures have not yet been met.
The issue of new security challenges, as demonstrated by the recent terrorist attacks in a number of European countries, have also been taken into account by the commission.
The controls should be applied where appropriate and reviewed on a weekly basis, with Member States expected to report on the necessity of the controls to the Commission on a monthly basis.
The commission's recommendation will need to be approved by the European Council.
Europe has been beset by a massive refugee crisis,
Amid hundreds of thousands of undocumented migrants fleeing their crisis-torn countries mainly in the Middle East and Africa, to escape violence and poverty. Amid the massive refugee inflow to Europe, a number of EU states have been implementing strict internal border controls within the Schengen area to limit the number of migrants settling in their countries since 2015.
