Youth Policy Dialogue with Commissioner Brunner on Schengen, security and migration

On 6 December, EU Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration, Magnus Brunner, held a discussion on Schengen, security, and migration with 30 students, aged 16 to 18 years old, from the Schengen Lyzeum in Perl, Germany.

The Schengen Lyzeum includes 850 students from 30 nationalities, including from Ukraine and Syria. Students cross borders every day to go to school and speak all three languages spoken in the region (German, French, and Luxembourgish).

The students discussed with Commissioner Brunner and posed questions on the present and the future of the Schengen area, security, and migration. They had prepared their questions based on the mission letter and the policy guidelines. The dialogue was moderated by Catherine Nothum, a former radio host and currently a social media influencer with a particular interest in making young people’s voices heard.

Bringing the Commission into the classroom

Commissioner Brunner had the opportunity to address some priority files, including the new Internal Security Strategy to help EU countries address organised crime, terrorism and cyber threats, and the assessment of the work of Frontex, to ensure the agency effectively protects EU borders.

Most questions touched upon migration and its many dimensions. The students were keen to learn how the Commissioner intends to ensure both firm migration policy and the safeguarding of migrants’ human rights.

The outcomes of the discussion will feed into policy development in these areas to ensure that the views of young people are taken into account. This was the new Commission’s first Youth Policy Dialogue and more such dialogues are yet to come, as President von der Leyen called on all members of the College to organise such exchanges within the first 100 days of this mandate.