The end of Schengen?

THE European Union
has reconsidered its
policy of open borders,
tightening checks at external
borders of the passport-free
Schengen area for all travellers
– including EU citizens. This
follows the recent terrorist
attacks in France and threats
of other attacks in parts
of Europe, including, most
recently, Belgium.
The EU interior and
justice ministers agreed,
at a special meeting in
Brussels on November 20,
that EU travellers would
no longer be exempt from
passport controls and would
be subject to systematic
and co-ordinated checks.
These will be established
by the end of the year and
an upgrade of the border
control systems, including
an electronic connection to
Interpol databases, at all
external borders by March
2016. Meanwhile, French
Interior Minister Bernard
Cazeneuve said during a
press conference that Europe
would “immediately” tighten
checks on Schengen’s external
borders while they waited for
deeper changes.
France has also pushed for
implementation of the PNR
initiative, which will involve the
collection of EU passenger
data, such as names, travel
dates, itineraries, seats,
baggage and contact details,
by the end of this year. The
initiative has been discussed
for the past three years, with
concerns raised over how to
protect personal information.
Meanwhile, increased
security measures are being
felt throughout the travel
industry. MSC Cruises recently
cancelled a call at Durban with
the MSC Sinfonia.
Ingrid Roding-Tudor, MSC
Cruises spokesperson, says
that until further notice all
visits to passenger ships
have been cancelled. “It is
with great regret that, as a
result of the Paris attacks,
security on passenger ships
has been raised across the
world. Unfortunately, South
Africa is not excluded from the
new safety regulations being
imposed.”
Also, passengers will go
through heightened security
checks on embarkation.
Thaybz Khan, marketing
executive of Cruises
International, says cruisegoers
should now anticipate
more rigid security checks,
in addition to the standard
processes, where guests are
photographed and presented
with a SeaPass Card before
embarkation.
Rachael Penaluna, business
manager of Sure Maritime
Travel, told TNW travellers
were enquiring about special
deals for Europe. “Corporate
and leisure clients are still
travelling. They are not
spooked.” She adds that it is
important to advise clients to
register with Registration of
South Africans Abroad (ROSA).
The information allows the
Department of International
Relations and Cooperation to
assist SA citizens in the event
of an emergency. It’s also a
good idea to provide clients
with the number of the SA
embassy at their destination,
she says, and to opt for
longer connecting times as
passengers could face delays
at airports.