According to BIMCO, in a significant step towards strengthening the European Union’s border management, the EU Council and the Parliament have reached an agreement to update the Schengen Borders Code.
Dr. Bev Mackenzie, Head of Intergovernmental Engagement, London, United Kingdom highlights that this update is designed to enhance coordination within the EU and equip member states with better tools to address challenges at both external and internal borders, particularly during future health emergencies.
A major highlight of the agreement is the classification of seafarers as essential workers. BIMCO welcomes this development as we have advocated widely for seafarers to be granted internationally recognised privileges by convention to facilitate unhindered movement between their home and ship.
This move by the EU ensures that seafarers are included in the list of exemptions from entry restrictions to the EU in the event of large-scale health emergencies.
According to EU, regulation (EU) 2016/399 of the European Parliament and of the Council (Schengen Borders Code) (4) lays down rules governing the movement of persons to and from the area without internal border control (the ‘Schengen Area’) as well as between the Member States that participate in the Schengen Area.
As explained, in recent years, the Schengen area has been subject to unprecedented challenges, which, by their nature, were not confined to the territory of any single Member State. Such challenges underscored the fact that the preservation of public policy and security in the Schengen area is a shared responsibility requiring joined and coordinated action between Member States and at Union level.
They also highlighted gaps in the existing rules governing the functioning of the Schengen area both at external and internal borders and the need to create a stronger and more robust framework allowing for a more effective response to challenges faced by the Schengen area in order to strengthen mutual trust and solidarity and to ensure the absence of any controls on persons, whatever their nationality, when crossing internal borders, while enabling Member States to provide an effective response to challenges they face.
