Melike Pala
02 June 2026•Update: 02 June 2026
By Melike Pala
BRUSSELS (AA) - The European Commission on Tuesday said more efficient and effective alternatives to internal border controls are available, urging nine Schengen countries to work toward gradually lifting temporary border checks that have been maintained for extended periods.
In opinions issued to Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Slovenia, and Sweden, the EU Commission assessed the necessity and proportionality of internal border controls that have remained in place for more than 12 months.
While acknowledging that member states face legitimate security and migration-related challenges, the bloc stressed that internal border controls should remain exceptional and temporary measures.
"More efficient and effective alternatives to internal border controls are available," the statement said, highlighting risk-based police checks, mobile biometric identification and vehicle-tracking technologies as viable tools to address security concerns without disrupting free movement within the Schengen area.
According to the European Commission, many member states already employ non-systematic and intelligence-led controls that closely resemble police checks and could be gradually expanded to replace border controls.
The EU executive noted that internal border checks inevitably affect neighboring countries and cross-border communities, making it essential for governments to minimize disruptions to commuters, businesses, and regional cooperation.
Based on its assessment, the European Commission recommended that the nine countries work toward phasing out and gradually lifting internal border controls while making full use of alternative security measures and enhanced regional cooperation.
"Schengen is one of Europe’s greatest achievements. It symbolises freedom of movement for over 450 million people. Our opinions send a clear message: where controls are reintroduced, they must remain temporary and exceptional," Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy Henna Virkkunen said.
