European Union (EU) countries are poised to restrict passport-free travel by invoking an emergency rule to control borders as the refugee crisis continues, according to EU documents seen by The Associated Press.
The rule would be in place for at least two years, the news agency said, and would reverse a decades-old trend of expanding passport-free travel in Europe.
The news came as EU member states gave Greece a three-month ultimatum to remedy “deficiencies” in controlling the refugee flow or face border controls with the rest of the Schengen passport-free zone, EU sources said.
The EU told Greece “that given the scale of the situation, further efforts are needed”.
Each of the current 26 countries in the Schengen Area is allowed to unilaterally put up border controls for a maximum of six months, but that time limit can be extended for up to two years if a member is found to be failing to protect its borders.
