France: rightwing critique of Schengen (1)
01 January 1991
France: rightwing critique of Schengen
artdoc August=1993
In June the French senate published the report of its enquiry
into the Schengen Agreement of which France was one of the
original signatories in 1985. This covers the Schengen Accord of
1985 and the Schengen Agreement of 1990. Since then the original
five EC countries - Germany, France, Netherlands, Belgium and
Luxembourg - have been joined by Spain, Portugal, Italy and
Greece. This report from the French senate takes a rightwing
perspective and is critical of its partners laws (eg, drug laws
in the Netherlands) and their ability to control their external
borders against `illegal' immigration (eg, Greece).
The French Senate (the second parliamentary assembly, dominated
by the right) set up a commission on 26 June 1992 and, following
its report on 11 December 1992, turned itself into an enquiry
group of 21 Senators.
Their critique of the Schengen Agreement spans: the right of
pursuit by foreign police being limited to 10 kilometres between
France and Spain and France and Italy; delays in implementing the
computerised Schengen Information System (SIS) which had already
cost 30.5 million French francs and whose operating budget had
risen from 1.7 million FF in 1992 to nearly 6 million FF in 1993;
and the lax attitude of the Netherlands towards soft drugs and
lenient sentences for dealers.
The report says that France had reproached its partners for not
demanding sufficient safeguards before granting visas. The
committee of enquiry wants to see the creation of a common
dossier on `unwanted foreigners' - France has already established
its own communications network called `Mondial Visa'.
The enquiry concludes that `the strategy for controlling
immigration only by controlling the frontiers is barely credible'
and among other proposals wanted to target `clandestine networks'
of immigrants.
The report has a conservative and security-ridden tone and
reflects some of the problems and differences faced by the states
implementing the Schengen Agreement (with the new start date of
1 December 1993).
Reflex, Paris; Information report, made in the name of the
Commission of Enquiry charged with examining the setting up and
functioning of the convention of the Schengen Accord of 14 June
1985, president Paul Masson, no 384, two volumes, 68pp and 270pp.
Statewatch vol 3 no 4 July-August 1993