European Union interior ministers on Thursday gave their blessing to the idea of expanding border controls in the Schengen zone - an area traditionally heralded for its lack of borders - amid an influx of migrants from unrest-beset North Africa, dpa reported. At the same time, they unanimously vowed to preserve the European right to free movement. "We do need to amend some of the loopholes there ... to avoid unilateral, uncoordinated decisions by member states," EU Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom said, but "we will not weaken Schengen in any way." Under current rules, Schengen countries can reintroduce border controls for up to 30 days if public order is threatened. The clause has been typically used for major summits or sporting events. France and Italy have asked that extraordinary cases of increased migration also be accounted for, following a bilateral spat in April over Italy's decision to issue permits allowing travel within Schengen to thousands of Tunisian economic migrants. The European Commission said that at a minimum, the existing rules have to be "clarified." It is drafting concrete migration proposals for a summit in June. Diplomats said the interior ministers of more than 15 countries on Thursday expressed support for the idea of amending the Schengen code, while also stressing that border controls should be "a last resort" and linked to strict conditions. German Foreign Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich warned of the danger of citizens in one country asking for border controls if they see another nation liberally applying them, unleashing a "spiral" that would eventually undermine Schengen. "Crises in an area of free movement cannot be managed alone," French Foreign Minister Claude Geant said. "There have to be terms ... We don't need less Europe, but more." That leaves the question of who should decide when border controls are needed. The European Commission wants to have a role in the decision, a suggestion rejected by some member states - notably Germany and Austria - which insist that it is a sovereign matter.
