WRITTEN QUESTION No. 526/98 by Iñigo MÉNDEZ DE VIGO to the Council. Free movement of persons within the Schengen area
Date: 1998-02-27
Institutions: European Parliament, MENDEZ DE VIGO
Subjects: Schengen Agreement, air transport, border control, citizens' Europe, common foreign and security policy, free movement of persons, identity document, public order, public safety, single market

C 223/176

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

17. 7. 98

Answer given by Mr de Silguy on behalf of the Commission

(27 March 1998)

It is important to underline that Member States wishing to join the euro area but being unable to do so at the
outset will be, nonetheless, on the way to membership, with continuing convergence favouring their integration
in the euro area in the near future. Therefore, markets will consider them as pre-in Member States and financial
market implications should remain limited.

As long as the policies applied in the Member States initially remaining outside the euro area continue to
1.
promote stability and structural improvement, no unfavourable effect has to be expected on the currencies of
these Member States. On the contrary, the creation of the euro will provide a currency of reference, that is likely
to act as a pole of stability for the currencies of the (cid:145)pre-in(cid:146) Member States. Indeed, all Member States have
committed themselves to pursuing stability oriented policies, as outlined in the broad economic guidelines and in
the convergence programmes of the respective Member States.

In line with the continuing convergence, interest rates in the (cid:145)pre-in(cid:146) Member States can be expected to

2.
come nearer to the levels of the euro-area interest rates. A substantial narrowing has already taken place.

3.
The Dublin European Council, in December 1996, agreed the structure of a new exchange rate mechanism
(ERM), which would provide Member States having a derogation with a reference for their conduct of sound
economic policies in general and monetary policy in particular. Subsequently, the Amsterdam European Council,
in June 1997, adopted the relevant Resolution.

Although  membership  in  the  new  ERM  is  voluntary,  it  will  help  participants  to  ensure  that  they  orient  their
policies to stability, foster convergence and help them in their efforts to adopt the euro.

4.
Enterprises in (cid:145)pre-in(cid:146) Member States will not yet benefit from the increased transparency, elimination of
exchange  rate  variations  and  availability  of  finance  that  will  be  provided  by  the  introduction  of  the  euro.
However, the ongoing process of convergence, which will ultimately allow the pre-ins to adopt the euro, will
improve the conditions in which the enterprises are working.

(98/C 223/230)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0526/98

by In(cid:152) igo Me·ndez de Vigo (PPE) to the Council

(27 February 1998)

Subject: Free movement of persons within the Schengen area

The Schengen Agreement addresses one of the major challenges facing Europe, namely the free movement of
persons within the European region. One of its goals is to abolish customs and police controls at the internal
frontiers  between  the  signatory  states,  without  jeopardizing  the  maintenance  of  public  order  and  national
security. In contrast, controls at the external frontiers will be stepped up.

What  is  the  Council(cid:146)s  opinion  of  the  practice  adopted  by  the  airline  Sabena  of  requesting  and  checking
passengers(cid:146) national identity documents during check-in?

Answer

(11 May 1998)

It  is  not  for  the  Council  to  reply  to  the  Honourable  Member(cid:146)s  question,  which  relates  to  the  Schengen  area
established between certain States which are also members of the European Union.