The Implementation of Schengen: First the Widening, Now the Deepening

The implementation of Schengen is now a reality but the Schengen Agreements are not intended to be a definitive measure. The next step will involve improving the quality of Schengen cooperation and integration into the Third Pillar. This assumption forms the basis for reflection in this fourth volume on the Schengen Agreements published by the European Institute of Public Administration. Contributions to the volume primarily concern the functioning of Schengen and the major implications for Justice and Home Affairs cooperation under the Treaty on European Union.
'Schengen' involves a broad range of issues varying from the encouragement of the free movement of persons to a repressive approach to criminality and illegal immigration, issues which give rise to keen debate producing sometimes radically opposed opinions. General questions dealt with in this volume include the evaluation of Schengen and the outlook for the integration of Schengen into the Third Pillar, the accession of Denmark, Sweden and Finland to the Schengen Agreements, and the initial evaluations of the implementation of Schengen. Other issues include judicial review in the frameworks of Schengen and the Third Pillar (focusing on the Europol Convention), the decisions of the European Court of Justice with regard to the position of third-country nationals, the position of refugees and asylum seekers as perceived by the UNHCR, the evolution of readmission agreements, the enhancement of European police cooperation and coordination, and information exchange between different international police bodies.