Spain cannot be expelled from Schengen, expert clarifies amid Finnish minister's remarks

Finnish Interior Minister Mari Rantanen has proposed suspending Spain's participation in the Schengen agreement, a statement likely intended to exert pressure on the European Commission. The proposal comes amid a significant influx of over 50,000 people into Ceuta, a Spanish autonomous city in North Africa, from Morocco in recent days.

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In practice, it means the temporary reintroduction of internal border controls in traffic coming from Spain.

Timo Miettinen, an academy researcher, interprets Rantanen's remarks as a colloquial call for the temporary reintroduction of internal border checks within the Schengen framework. This could manifest in two ways: either individual Schengen countries, like Finland, could reinstate checks on traffic arriving from Spain if facing a serious threat to public order or internal security, or a coordinated EU-level decision could be made. Miettinen suggests the latter, involving a Commission initiative and legal assessment, might be the intended goal to pressure the Commission.

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Perhaps the intention is to build pressure towards the Commission.

While Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also proposed suspending the Schengen agreement earlier, Miettinen clarifies that Spain would not be expelled from the Schengen zone, as no such mechanism exists. He explains that if serious and persistent deficiencies in Spain's external border control were identified, potentially jeopardizing the entire Schengen area's functioning, the Commission could recommend the reintroduction of internal border checks to the Council of the EU. However, Miettinen notes that the Commission might not view Spain's border control issues as systemic or permanent, possibly considering it a localized crisis.

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There is no clear mechanism for expelling Spain from the Schengen area.

Miettinen also suggested alternative forms of assistance for Spain, such as providing border personnel or aid through the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex). He emphasized that any potential reintroduction of internal border checks would likely have minimal impact on the daily lives of ordinary citizens, such as Finnish travelers, whose passports might be checked more frequently on flights from Spain.

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One could also consider measures to help Spain.