Internal EU Border Controls Consistent With Schengen Rules

European Commission Vice President for the Euro and Social Dialogue Valdis Dombrovskis said that despite the extraordinary response to internal migration within the European Union, "the European Commission, of course, is working to ensure that there is no erosion of Schengen."

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The increased internal border controls in the European Union in response to the migration crisis are consistent with the rules governing the Schengen Treaty for free movement of people among member states, European Commission Vice President for the Euro and Social Dialogue Valdis Dombrovskis said on Friday.

"It is within Schengen rules that member states can introduce temporary border controls if faced with some unusual circumstances, and this is exactly what is currently happening," Dombrovskis said at an Atlantic Council conference in Washington, DC.

In response to the influx of well over 1 million refugees to Europe in 2015, EU member states including Bulgaria, Austria, Germany, France and others have implemented strict internal border controls to limit the number of migrants settling in their countries.

Dombrovskis argued that despite the extraordinary response to internal migration within the European Union, "the European Commission, of course, is working to ensure that there is no erosion of Schengen."

While some member states push for tighter internal borders, the European Commission has argued that external EU borders must be better controlled, to limit the initial influx of migrants.

Nearly all EU member states are part of the Schengen system, established in 1995 to facilitate the free movement of people and goods within the bloc.