24
Apr
2024
Watch
Schengen Borders Code (A9-0280/2023 - Sylvie Guillaume) (vote)
Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, we are going to vote on the Schengen Borders Code. The subject is both a bearer of the identity of the Union and, at the same time, a subject of controversy. Today's vote is no exception, especially not in the run-up to the elections. Ladies and gentlemen, is the text 100% satisfactory to us? No, of course. How else would it be? This is often what we face, after months and months of discussions between us parliamentarians, but even more so with the representatives of the Member States. However, we have achieved a balance here on the harmonisation of border controls, their duration and the criteria they will have to meet, so that free movement is no longer the victim of a patchwork of different responses across the EU, especially in the event of a large-scale public health emergency. With this agreement, we are protecting the free movement of people, while addressing the challenges that the Schengen area has faced over the past decade. Our Parliament must take responsibility for the concerns of European citizens. For me, too, this is the last speech of the three mandates I have held in the European Parliament. Indeed, I have decided not to represent myself next June, allowing new generations of elected officials to come and sit in our chamber. These fifteen years went by very quickly. They have been filled, at times, with disappointments, joys and political struggles. Above all, they were a time when convictions were confronted, most of the time with respect, in a great cultural diversity and political practices. They have been a huge personal challenge and I would like to express my gratitude to this institution. My thanks also go to my teams of assistants, the best in the world and without whom I would not have been able to carry out my mandates. Thank you to the staff of my group, for their support and professionalism. Thank you also to the staff of the Parliament, with whom I worked as Vice-President. Thank you to my colleagues in Parliament and, of course, especially to my group, for their support and confidence. Thanks also to the drivers, ushers, interpreters, translators and technical and audiovisual agents, who accompany us in the shadows with caution. Finally, we are told that the post-9 June Parliament should take a more brown tone. The worst is never certain and I hope that the European Democrats will be able to continue the magnificent adventure of European integration, with the sole aim of meeting the expectations of our fellow citizens.