France has repeatedly extended controls at its borders since 2015, with the latest prolongation now running until 31 October – as similar measures across Europe raise fresh questions about the future of passport-free travel in the European Union.
Paris told the European Commission last week it would maintain border checks for another six months – a measure allowed under Schengen freedom of movement rules in the case of serious threats to public order or internal security, but that is meant to be temporary.
France's controls have been renewed every six months since the November 2015 attacks.
The government cites “serious and persistent threats” including jihadist terrorism, anti-Semitic attacks, criminal networks linked to undocumented migration, tensions in the Pas-de-Calais linked to migration, and a worsening global security context from Iran and Afghanistan to Somalia and Ukraine.
It also points to the upcoming G7 summit in Évian, on the Swiss border.
Under Schengen rules, people who enter the area legally can move between European Union member states freely. “Anyone, whatever their nationality, can travel between Schengen countries without being subject to border checks,” the EU states.
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Temporary powers stretched
Exceptions are built into the system, but under strict limits.
“From the start, the Schengen system also allowed states to reintroduce border checks temporarily and selectively,” Tania Racho, a legal expert at Paris-Saclay University and a member of the Désinfox-Migrations collective, which monitors migration-related misinformation, told RFI.
Controls can be introduced for six months and renewed for up to two years. A 2024 reform of the Schengen Borders Code extended that to three years in exceptional cases.
Continuous use for more than 10 years appears to go beyond that framework.
The Anafé group, a collective of organisations supporting migrants at borders, called France's latest extension “clearly contrary to European Union law” and said repeated renewals have turned free movement into “a distant memory”.
France’s highest administrative court has ruled otherwise.
In a decision in March 2025, the Conseil d’État found the controls lawful under the revised code, treating a decision taken in October 2024 as a new reintroduction rather than a continuation. It also judged the controls justified and proportionate given the threats cited.
The European Commission lists 11 other Schengen countries that currently have internal border checks in place – including Germany, citing irregular migration and smuggling networks; Poland, which cites migration pressure; Denmark and Norway, who cite sabotage risks linked to Russia, and Sweden, which cites organised crime and Islamist threats as the reasons behind its controls.
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'A sensitive issue'
The number of such cases has risen sharply in recent years.
“From 2006 to 2014, there were 36 notifications restoring internal border checks over eight years. Today there are several hundred,” Yves Pascouau, deputy director general of the Forum Réfugiés (Refugee Forum), told RFI.
These figures point to a broader shift in how Schengen operates. “Freedom is the principle and restricting that freedom is the exception,” Pascouau said, but added that this principle has been “completely reversed since 2015".
The European Commission can assess whether controls are necessary, but it cannot block them. “The Commission is burying its head in the sand because this is an extremely sensitive issue,” said Pascouau.
The Court of Justice of the European Union has ruled that controls can only be extended in response to a new threat. However in practice, countries cite evolving security situations to justify fresh renewals.
Migration-related reasons are now increasingly used as justification, including irregular crossings, smuggling networks and pressure on asylum systems. The 2024 reform also refers to the “instrumentalisation” of migration, where movements of people are used as political pressure.
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Racial profiling
Controls are not applied equally across all borders. In some areas, they appear to focus more on migration than broader security concerns. At the French-Italian border, for example, checks often target people crossing from Italy.
“This makes it possible to control all individuals, for example those on a train arriving from Italy into France, simply because they are crossing the border,” Racho said.
These checks are carried out at several crossing points and in transport hubs.
Anafé says the impact is clear on the ground. “Every day, in Menton, Montgenèvre, Hendaye, Modane and Cerbère, as well as in airports, French police check the identity of people entering the territory,” the group said.
The collective described the controls as targeting “people perceived as migrants”, and reports racial profiling, barriers to asylum and unlawful returns or detention.
For most travellers, internal borders remain largely invisible, but, according to Pascouau: "The spirit of Schengen has been significantly weakened."
He also questions the effectiveness of these controls. “To my knowledge, no terrorist has ever been arrested in this context,” he said, adding that their impact on migration has not been clearly demonstrated.
Data from the EU border agency Frontex shows undocumented arrivals into the bloc have fallen in recent years.
Repeated departures from common rules could have broader consequences, warned Pascouau, saying that if they are not challenged or sanctioned, they may open the door to further exceptions.
This article has been adapted from the original version in French by Aurore Lartigue.
