Convention on controls on persons crossing external frontiers

Adopting the report by Mr Christopher BEAZLEY (PPE, UK), the European Parliament approved the draft convention on crossing the external borders of the Member States adopted in accordance with Article K.3 of the TEU, together with a series of amendments designed mainly to make a clear distinction between the purpose of this proposal (which is to introduce rules to control people crossing the Union's external borders) from the strictly Community proposal on visas. Consequently, all the articles and references to the introduction of common rules for issuing standard multiple-entry visas have been deleted from the draft convention, as amended by the European Parliament, and transferred to the proposal for a regulation determining the third countries whose nationals require a visa in order to cross an external border (see procedures CNS0938 and CNS97922). In addition to these horizontal amendments, the European Parliament also amended: - the legal basis for the draft convention, by adding Articles 3(d), 7A and 100C; - the length of stay, by making provision for a new so-called "limited" stay of no more than one year (in principle); - national visas, by deleting all provisions relating to them; - the responsibility of carriers, by excluding it from the scope of the convention; - the implementing measures for the convention, by providing for fair consultation of the European Parliament. Finally, the European Parliament reiterated in a new article that it has the power, like the national parliaments, to question the Council on the interpretation and application of the draft convention.�