According to a resolution approved by the Parliament, the influx of migrants and asylum seekers cannot justify the reintroduction of border controls. In the resolution adopted by a large majority, the MEPs are critical of moves by several Member States to reintroduce border controls, because Schengen main objectives are enhancing freedom of movement and reinforcing EU governance.

In the resolution approved by the Parliament, MEPs underline that a sudden influx of migrants cannot justify the reintroduction of border controls. The current Schengen Borders Code provides for the possibility of reintroducing internal border controls only where there is a serious threat to public policy or internal security. There are some very exceptional circumstances where border controls in the Schengen area can be reintroduced for a limited period not exceeding 30 days: in the event of a serious threat to public order or internal security. Examples include major sports events that may give rise to a security risk.

In the resolution, Parliament is critical of moves by several Member States to reintroduce border controls in the face of the sudden influx of migrants from North Africa. On 24 June, the European Council asked the Commission to present a proposal in September on a safeguard mechanism to deal with "exceptional circumstances" of this kind. The Commission presented last May a Communication in which recommends to introduce temporarily the internal border control, based on objective criteria and respecting the Community method.

MEPs highlighted that the creation of the Schengen area defined a common external border, which the EU has a joint responsibility to manage under the Treaties. Nevertheless, the EU has not yet fully complied with this requirement, according to MEPs. The new Schengen evaluation system will also make it possible to request and obtain support for Member States in the event of exceptional pressure on the EU’s external borders. The Parliament firmly stresses the need for greater solidarity towards those Member States in order to help them deal with extraordinary situations of this nature.