Home Affairs Council: Council marks significant progress on Schengen and migration

On Friday 10 June, Vice-President Schinas and Commissioner Johansson attended the Home Affairs Council in Luxembourg where Ministers made solid progress on the New Pact on Migration and Asylum, with a large majority endorsing a Declaration on a voluntary solidarity mechanism, paving the way for agreement on the Eurodac and Screening Regulations. The last Council meeting under the French presidency also marked significant progress on Schengen and police cooperation. The Commission presented the first State of Schengen Report and welcomed Ministers’ endorsement of the political priorities for 2022-2023 and the new Schengen governance model. The Ministers also agreed on the amendments to the Schengen Borders Code, delivering on one of the key priorities identified in the Report. The Council also successfully adopted a Recommendation on operational police cooperation, as well as general approaches on the Directive on the information exchange between law enforcement authorities and on the Prüm II Regulation. On Ukraine, Commissioner Johansson presented the progress made under the 10-Point Plan for stronger European coordination on welcoming people fleeing the war from Ukraine. A factsheet highlighting the achievements is available here. Lastly, the Council also adopted conclusions on protecting Europeans from terrorism and organised crime, as well as on interoperability.