Minister: Schengen Expansion by 2007, Despite SIS II Delays
The European Union retained its October 2007 deadline for the expansion of the Schengen border agreement, despite a possible 10 to 15 week delay in implementing the Schengen Information System (SIS II), Interior Minister Dragutin Mate has said.
However, "if the delay materialises, the 2007 expansion is questionable," Mate said on Friday at the sidelines of a meeting by EU interior ministers in Luxembourg.
He stressed that several measures to prevent the delay have already been taken, with France announcing that it will begin activities immediately, while the European Commission will post monthly status reports on the level of readiness of SIS II.
Mate also stressed that experts are set to assess the actual delay in setting up the information system in the following weeks. The ministers also managed to agree on the legal basis for SIS II on Friday, in line with plans, he revealed.
European Justice, Freedom and Security Commissioner Franco Frattini said at the meeting's sidelines that everything will be done to secure Schengen's expansion in 2007.
The Schengen area, where no internal borders apply, currently includes 15 states, excluding the UK and Ireland, but including Norway and Iceland.
On 28 October next year Switzerland and eight new EU members from Eastern and Central Europe are expected to join the Schengen border agreement, after the EU decides in the summer of 2007 which EU newcomers meet the criteria.
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