Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)

I move amendment No. 27:

In page 11, after line 36, to insert the following:

SCHEDULE 2

Schengen Convention

Convention implementing the Schengen Agreement of 14 June 1985 between the Governments of the States of the Benelux Economic Union, the Federal Republic of Germany and the French Republic on the gradual abolition of checks at their common borders

Official Journal L 239, 22/09/2000 P. 0019 — 0062

CONVENTION

IMPLEMENTING THE SCHENGEN AGREEMENT

of 14 June 1985

between the Governments of the States of the Benelux Economic Union, the Federal Republic of Germany and the French Republic on the gradual abolition of checks at their common borders

The KINGDOM OF BELGIUM, the FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY, the FRENCH REPUBLIC, the GRAND DUCHY OF LUXEMBOURG and the KINGDOM OF THE NETHERLANDS, hereinafter referred to as the "Contracting Parties",

TAKING as their basis the Schengen Agreement of 14 June 1985 on the gradual abolition of checks at their common borders,

HAVING DECIDED to fulfil the resolve expressed in that Agreement to abolish checks at their common borders on the movement of persons and facilitate the transport and movement of goods at those borders,

WHEREAS the Treaty establishing the European Communities, supplemented by the Single European Act, provides that the internal market shall comprise an area without internal frontiers,

WHEREAS the aim pursued by the Contracting Parties is in keeping with that objective, without prejudice to the measures to be taken to implement the provisions of the Treaty,

WHEREAS the fulfilment of that resolve requires a series of appropriate measures and close cooperation between the Contracting Parties,

HAVE AGREED AS FOLLOWS:

TITLE I

DEFINITIONS

Article 1

For the purposes of this Convention:

internal borders: shall mean the common land borders of the Contracting Parties, their airports for internal flights and their sea ports for regular ferry connections exclusively from or to other ports within the territories of the Contracting Parties and not calling at any ports outside those territories;

external borders: shall mean the Contracting Parties' land and sea borders and their airports and sea ports, provided that they are not internal borders;

internal flight: shall mean any flight exclusively to or from the territories of the Contracting Parties and not landing in the territory of a third State;

third State: shall mean any State other than the Contracting Parties;

alien: shall mean any person other than a national of a Member State of the European Communities;

alien for whom an alert has been issued for the purposes of refusing entry: shall mean an alien for whom an alert has been introduced into the Schengen Information System in accordance with Article 96 with a view to that person being refused entry;

border crossing point: shall mean any crossing point authorised by the competent authorities for crossing external borders;

border check: shall mean a check carried out at a border in response exclusively to an intention to cross that border, regardless of any other consideration;

carrier: shall mean any natural or legal person whose occupation it is to provide passenger transport by air, sea or land;

residence permit: shall mean an authorisation of whatever type issued by a Contracting Party which grants right of residence within its territory. This definition shall not include temporary permission to reside in the territory of a Contracting Party for the purposes of processing an application for asylum or a residence permit;

application for asylum: shall mean any application submitted in writing, orally or otherwise by an alien at an external border or within the territory of a Contracting Party with a view to obtaining recognition as a refugee in accordance with the Geneva Convention relating to the Status of Refugees of 28 July 1951, as amended by the New York Protocol of 31 January 1967, and as such obtaining the right of residence;

asylum seeker: shall mean any alien who has lodged an application for asylum within the meaning of this Convention and in respect of which a final decision has not yet been taken;

processing applications for asylum: shall mean all the procedures for examining and taking a decision on applications for asylum, including measures taken under a final decision thereon, with the exception of the determination of the Contracting Party responsible for processing applications for asylum pursuant to this Convention.

TITLE III

POLICE AND SECURITY

CHAPTER 5

TRANSFER OF THE ENFORCEMENT

Article 67

The following provisions shall apply between the Contracting Parties which are Parties to the Council of Europe Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons of 21 March 1983, for the purposes of supplementing that Convention.

Article 68

1. The Contracting Party in whose territory a penalty involving deprivation of liberty or a detention order has been imposed by a judgment which has obtained the force of res judicata in respect of a national of another Contracting Party who, by escaping to the national's own country, has avoided the enforcement of that penalty or detention order may request the latter Contracting Party, if the escaped person is within its territory, to take over the enforcement of the penalty or detention order.

2. The requested Contracting Party may, at the request of the requesting Contracting Party, prior to the arrival of the documents supporting the request that the enforcement of the penalty or detention order or part thereof remaining to be served be taken over, and prior to the decision on that request, take the sentenced person into police custody or take other measures to ensure that the person remains within the territory of the requested Contracting Party.

Article 69

The transfer of enforcement under Article 68 shall not require the consent of the person on whom the penalty or the detention order has been imposed. The other provisions of the Council of Europe Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons of 21 March 1983 shall apply mutatis mutandis.

TITLE VII

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Article 131

1. An Executive Committee shall be set up for the purposes of implementing this Convention.

2. Without prejudice to the special powers conferred upon it by this Convention, the overall task of the Executive Committee shall be to ensure that this Convention is implemented correctly.

Article 132

1. Each Contracting Party shall have one seat on the Executive Committee. The Contracting Parties shall be represented on the Committee by a Minister responsible for the implementation of this Convention; that Minister may, if necessary, be assisted by experts, who may participate in the deliberations.

2. The Executive Committee shall take its decisions unanimously. It shall draw up its own rules of procedure; in this connection it may provide for a written decision-making procedure.

3. At the request of the representative of a Contracting Party, the final decision on a draft on which the Executive Committee has acted may be postponed for no more than two months from the date of submission of that draft.

4. The Executive Committee may set up working parties composed of representatives of the administrations of the Contracting Parties in order to prepare decisions or to carry out other tasks.

Article 133

The Executive Committee shall meet in the territory of each Contracting Party in turn. It shall meet as often as is necessary for it to discharge its duties properly.

TITLE VIII

FINAL PROVISIONS

Article 134

The provisions of this Convention shall apply only in so far as they are compatible with Community law.

Article 135

The provisions of this Convention shall apply subject to the provisions of the Geneva Convention relating to the Status of Refugees of 28 July 1951, as amended by the New York Protocol of 31 January 1967.

Article 136

1. A Contracting Party which envisages conducting negotiations on border checks with a third State shall inform the other Contracting Parties thereof in good time.

2. No Contracting Party shall conclude with one or more third States agreements simplifying or abolishing border checks without the prior agreement of the other Contracting Parties, subject to the right of the Member States of the European Communities to conclude such agreements jointly.

3. Paragraph 2 shall not apply to agreements on local border traffic in so far as those agreements comply with the exceptions and arrangements adopted under Article 3(1).

Article 137

This Convention shall not be the subject of any reservations, save for those referred to in Article 60.

Article 138

As regards the French Republic, the provisions of this Convention shall apply only to the European territory of the French Republic.

As regards the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the provisions of this Convention shall apply only to the territory of the Kingdom in Europe.

Article 139

1. This Convention shall be subject to ratification, acceptance or approval. The instruments of ratification, acceptance or approval shall be deposited with the Government of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, which shall notify all the Contracting Parties thereof.

2. This Convention shall enter into force on the first day of the second month following the deposit of the final instrument of ratification, acceptance or approval. The provisions concerning the setting up, activities and powers of the Executive Committee shall apply as from the entry into force of this Convention. The other provisions shall apply as from the first day of the third month following the entry into force of this Convention.

3. The Government of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg shall notify all the Contracting Parties of the date of entry into force.

Article 140

1. Any Member State of the European Communities may become a Party to this Convention. Accession shall be the subject of an agreement between that State and the Contracting Parties.

2. Such an agreement shall be subject to ratification, acceptance or approval by the acceding State and by each of the Contracting Parties. It shall enter into force on the first day of the second month following the deposit of the final instrument of ratification, acceptance or approval.

Article 141

1. Any Contracting Party may submit to the depositary a proposal to amend this Convention. The depositary shall forward that proposal to the other Contracting Parties. At the request of one Contracting Party, the Contracting Parties shall re-examine the provisions of the Convention if, in their opinion, there has been a fundamental change in the conditions obtaining when the Convention entered into force.

2. The Contracting Parties shall adopt amendments to this Convention by common consent.

3. Amendments shall enter into force on the first day of the second month following the date of deposit of the final instrument of ratification, acceptance or approval.

Article 142

1. When Conventions are concluded between the Member States of the European Communities with a view to the completion of an area without internal frontiers, the Contracting Parties shall agree on the conditions under which the provisions of this Convention are to be replaced or amended in the light of the corresponding provisions of such Conventions.

The Contracting Parties shall, to that end, take account of the fact that the provisions of this Convention may provide for more extensive co-operation than that resulting from the provisions of the said Conventions.

Provisions which conflict with those agreed between the Member States of the European Communities shall in any case be adapted.

2. Amendments to this Convention which are deemed necessary by the Contracting Parties shall be subject to ratification, acceptance or approval. The provision contained in Article 141(3) shall apply on the understanding that the amendments will not enter into force before the said Conventions between the Member States of the European Communities enter into force.

In witness whereof, the undersigned, duly empowered to this effect, have hereunto set their hands.

Done at Schengen, this nineteenth day of June in the year one thousand nine hundred and ninety, in a single original in the Dutch, French and German languages, all three texts being equally authentic, such original remaining deposited in the archives of the Government of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, which shall transmit a certified copy to each of the Contracting Parties.

For the Government of the Kingdom of Belgium

For the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany

For the Government of' the French Republic

For the Government of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

For the Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands".

See this speech in context