Deadlock on new formula for Schengen

Date: 10/07/1997

By Rory Watson

THE Luxembourg presidency is fiercely resisting attempts by Ireland and the UK to change the current wording on the border-free Schengen Convention in the draft Treaty of Amsterdam.

Both London and Dublin are adamant that the text now being examined by legal and linguistic experts does not reflect the deal reached by EU leaders three weeks ago.

But senior Luxembourg sources have made it clear they have no intention of redrafting the Schengen formula, amid fears that this could open the door to demands for changes to the treaty text in other areas.

Their resolve has been strengthened by Spanish warnings that it will not ratify the new treaty if changes are made now. “This is one thing which the Spanish government will defend very strongly,” said an official.

Efforts by the new Luxembourg presidency to broker a deal between the two have made little progress. With Spain insisting that a single member state should be able to veto UK or Irish involvement in existing Schengen activities and the latter two maintaining their participation could only be blocked if a majority of member states agreed to do so, the gap appears unbridgeable.

One possibility being explored by officials is the inclusion of a declaration dealing with the specific situation of Gibraltar, which is at the root of the tension between the UK and Spain.

Meanwhile, French efforts to reduce the areas of legislative co-decision extended to the European Parliament have been firmly rebuffed. France had argued that MEPs should not have been given greater powers in three areas where the Council of Ministers will continue to take decisions unanimously, rather than by majority vote.

But since the same formula was used for cultural and research matters in the Maastricht Treaty, the presidency has rejected this argument.