French President Emmanuel Macron (center) arrives at the Spanish border in Le Perthus, France, after he announced that the number of border guards would be doubled to 4,800 from 2,400 "because of the worsening of the threat" from terrorism on Nov. 5, 2020.
Proposals to strengthen the border controls of Europe’s passport-free Schengen area could make it harder for criminals and terrorists to enter the region, but would not eliminate the problems of homegrown terrorists and the free movement of criminals inside the area. In the coming years, terrorism and migratory pressure will continue to create threats to the Schengen zone’s survival. French President Emmanuel Macron said on Nov. 5 that France will present proposals to improve controls of the external borders of the Schengen area in December, but did not provide any details. Macron’s comments are part of France’s reaction to the terror attacks in France and Austria last week, in which the attackers were free to move across European countries without controls. The Schengen area includes 26 European countries, most of which are also members of the European Union.
