Slovenia on the anniversary of Schengen called for its renewal

Schengen – The Schengen area today comprises 29 countries, but a third of them are implementing controls at internal borders, Slovenian Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon pointed out at the ceremony in Luxembourg marking the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Schengen Agreement. She called for the renewal of Schengen.

“Great courage and wisdom were shown by the great Europeans of the past when they established the Schengen area of freedom of movement. Today it comprises 29 countries, but a third are conducting internal controls. It is time to renew it as we knew it,” Fajon wrote on social media platform X.

The minister had already stated before the ceremony that Slovenia, despite the challenges, remains a strong advocate for Schengen and open borders.

The management of the Schengen area was one of the main topics at the meeting of the interior ministers of the EU member states in Luxembourg on Friday, which was also attended by Slovenian Minister Boštjan Poklukar.

The Slovenian Ministry of the Interior noted that the full functioning of the area without controls at internal borders is a value that must be preserved for the benefit of citizens and economic entities in all Schengen member states.

“The European Commission must play an important role in this and use its powers to ensure that the Schengen legal framework is consistently respected,” they emphasized.

Slovenia joined the Schengen area in December 2007 along with eight other countries that became EU members in May 2004.

Austria reintroduced temporary controls at its border with Slovenia in 2015 at the height of the refugee crisis, which it continues to extend. In October 2023, Italy also introduced controls at its border with Slovenia. At that time, Slovenia implemented controls at the internal Schengen borders with Croatia and Hungary, which will remain in effect at least until December 21 of this year. (June 13 and 14)