President Juncker met President Schulz ahead of the European Council

At a joint press conference ahead of the European Council, President Juncker and President Schulz reaffirmed the importance of better protecting the EU’s external borders as a prerequisite for preserving the integrity of the Schengen area of free movement. President Juncker noted that he expects the European Council to agree with the main thrust of the Commission’s proposal for a European Border and Coast Guard presented just two days ago: “We have now made a proposal and I am confident that we will reach an agreement in principle, we need to protect our external borders.” President Juncker also emphasised the high quality of cooperation and partnership between the Commission and the European Parliament. President Juncker‘s statement can be found here.