During the Justice and Home Affairs Council on 9-10 March 2023, Ministers discussed the internal and external aspects of migration. They highlighted the need to step up the implementation of the action plans on the Central Mediterranean and Western Balkan routes. They also called on the Commission to develop action plans for the Eastern and Western routes.

Ministers reiterated their commitment to making progress on the migration and asylum pact. They also discussed the implementation of the Dublin roadmap and the need for better coordination of all actors on search and rescue. On this last point, they noted the relaunch of the European contact group on search and rescue.

The Presidency briefed ministers on the overall state of the Schengen area. The Commission presented the Schengen barometer +, which aims to provide an overall picture of the Schengen area on the basis of key indicators. Ministers discussed the future of visa policy and considered how to make visa policy more strategic and sustainable. They called on the Commission to come forward in the coming months with a legislative proposal to amend the visa suspension mechanism to make it more efficient.

Ministers took note of the entry into operation of the enhanced Schengen Information System (SIS), which went live on 7 March. They also exchanged views on the implementation of interoperability, in particular as regards the timeline for the start of operation of the Entry/Exit System (EES).

Please read the press release of the Council for further information.