Henri Kox, Luxembourg's Minister Delegate of Internal Security;
Credit: MSI
On Friday 5 June 2020, Luxembourg's Minister Delegate of Internal Security, Henri Kox, participated in the videoconference of European Union (EU) Home Affairs Ministers, during which he called for normalisation at the internal borders of the Schengen area.
The videoconference of EU Home Affairs Ministers was devoted to an in-depth discussion on the situation at the internal and external borders of the Schengen area.
At the meeting, Ylva Julia Margareta Johansson, European Commissioner for Home Affairs, welcomed the fact that most Member States are starting to abolish the practice of systematic internal border controls introduced in March 2020. In this context, Luxembourg once again stressed the importance of full normalisation of the functioning of the Schengen area.
Regarding the situation at the EU's external borders, Minister Henri Kox called for coordination at the European level and pointed out that all progress achieved at the internal borders risks being seriously undermined by an uncoordinated lifting of restrictions at the EU's external borders. According to Luxembourg's Home Affairs Minister, it is therefore imperative that the European Commission continues to fulfill its coordinating role and that all the Member States and associates agree on a common approach to regulate the lifting of restrictions at the external borders.
At the end of discussions, the Croatian Presidency concluded on the advisability of extending the EU travel ban until 1 July 2020.
In addition, Minister Henri Kox thanked the European Commission for its responsiveness and efforts.
Finally, the future German presidency, which will take over on 1 July 2020, presented its priorities in the area of Justice and Home Affairs.
