Reacting to the measures announced by different Member States to reintroduce temporary border controls, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in the European Parliament considers Schengen is not the problem, as reintroducing border checks will not help to decrease the influx of refugees coming to Europe.

Reacting to the measures announced by different Member States to reintroduce temporary border controls, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in the European Parliament considers Schengen is not the problem, as reintroducing border checks will not help to decrease the influx of refugees coming to Europe. ALDE calls on the European Commission to assess whether the new identity checks are necessary and proportionate and asks Member States to strengthen the protection of Europe's external borders.
 
Guy Verhofstadt, ALDE Group leader, said: "Reintroducing border controls under exceptional circumstances for a short period of time may be legal, but it is far from a solution to the refugee and migration crisis in Europe. The Schengen Agreement is not why we are facing unprecedented migratory pressures".
 
"The significant number of migrants and refugees that came to Europe in 2015 were fleeing war, conflict and misery. All this, together with the lack of a real common external border, are the true causes of the current crisis and not the Schengen area of freedom of movement".
 
"If Schengen is not the problem, reintroducing internal border controls is not the solution, especially when the situation in the Schengen's external borders is unsustainable. A European migration and asylum policy, together with a better protection of our external borders, a European border and coast guard and a well-functioning relocation system are". 
 
"The Commission has to verify whether the reintroduction of border controls is necessary and proportionate. So far the reintroduction of internal border controls has only contributed to create a domino effect".