EU Urges Germany, France, Italy and Others to Phase Out Internal Border Checks as New Digital Controls Take Effect

The European Commission has called on Germany, France, Italy and several other Schengen countries to begin phasing out internal border controls, arguing that new EU‑wide digital systems and strengthened migration screening procedures now make such measures less necessary.

Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner said Tuesday that the bloc’s upgraded external border regime including the recently launched digital entry‑exit system and the soon‑to‑be‑implemented migration pact provides the tools needed to restore full freedom of movement inside the Schengen area. “With these conditions in place, member states are in the position to work toward phasing out controls at internal borders,” he said.

Under Schengen rules, internal border checks are meant to be exceptional and temporary, generally lasting no longer than two years. But political pressure over migration has led many governments to extend them far beyond that limit. Germany, for example, has maintained some form of border control almost continuously since 2015.

The Commission issued formal opinions to Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Sweden and Norway the latter a Schengen member despite not being in the EU. It acknowledged that the checks were introduced due to “genuine and legitimate concerns” over security and migration pressures, but said they should now be gradually replaced with non‑systematic police checks, mobile biometric identification, and vehicle‑tracking technologies.

The EU’s border agency reported that irregular crossings fell by 40 percent in the first four months of 2026 compared with the same period last year. Meanwhile, the bloc’s new automated border system which replaces passport stamps with digital registration and collects facial images and fingerprints went live in April, though it initially caused long queues at several airports.

The Commission’s push marks a renewed effort to restore the core Schengen principle of free movement, even as migration and security remain politically charged issues across Europe.