Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-11-13-Speech-2-203"
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"en.20071113.27.2-203"2
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"Mr President, first of all I would like to congratulate all the Member States on their achievements in making it possible for citizens in Poland, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Hungary, Slovakia, Malta and in the current Schengen countries to finally fully benefit from the free movement of persons, which is one of the pillars of the European Union.
This is a real benefit for the citizens of the Member States that joined the EU in 2004. It will make travelling quicker and easier. For all the Member States of the European Union, this shows the benefit of acting together in the European framework. An area without internal border control is an amazing achievement, without historical precedent. From 21 December onwards, travel will be possible from, for example, the Iberian Peninsula to the Baltic States and from Greece to Finland without border checks. This is truly symbolic of a united Europe and a basic right for all European citizens.
As you are all aware, this historic achievement follows much preparation. Joining the Schengen area is not an easy undertaking. It is a challenge, and we must strike the right balance between freedom and security. Lifting internal border controls is also a question of trust between Member States. It is through a peer evaluation process, the ‘Schengen Evaluation’, that Member States gain confidence in each other’s capacity to guard the external borders on behalf of all the others and issue visas valid for the whole Schengen area.
Member States will also improve police cooperation and security controls within the broader Schengen space, in order to prevent criminals from enjoying free movement and better opportunities to act illegally. All this would not have been possible without financial solidarity. The Schengen Facility, providing nearly EUR 1 billion, enabled the new Member States to meet, in particular, the challenge of building up an efficient border control and becoming full partners in the Schengen area.
I would also like to thank the rapporteur, Mr Coelho, and the European Parliament for their positive support in reaching this fundamental achievement, and last, but not least, I congratulate the Portuguese Presidency. I congratulate you personally, and Ministers of the Interior, Minister Costa and Minister Pereira, on your strategic partnership and clarity of purpose for the successful implementation of the Schengen information system project, known as ‘SIS One For All’. We have worked hard, together with the former German and the future Slovenian Presidencies, to support our Portuguese colleagues, and we have succeeded. This shows what can be accomplished if everyone is fully committed to a complex project. Now, ladies and gentlemen, work is not finished. Our ultimate goal is to make Schengen Information System II fully operational by December 2008. We will again have to work very hard together."@en1
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