The increase in border checks within the Schengen zone, since 2015, has prompted a recent EU strategy to ‘save Schengen’. But according to expert on EU law Steve Peers, the ongoing changes are unlikely to restore a fundamentally border-free travel area. (2024:12epa)

The Schengen system is one of the core achievements of the European integration process. This system, which permits those who are present in any of the Schengen States to cross the borders without being checked, assumes a considerable degree of harmonization and mutual trust among those states.