To maintain an area of freedom, security, and justice without controls at the internal borders, it is essential that all Schengen countries implement commonly agreed rules to the highest standards. These rules include measures to manage the external borders as well as to compensate for the absence of controls at internal borders, including through police and migration cooperation.
By conducting regular on-site evaluations, the Schengen evaluation and monitoring mechanism helps identify areas for improvement. It is the key safeguard for ensuring the effective application of the Schengen rules and the efficient functioning of the Schengen area.
Schengen evaluations
In 2023 a new generation of Schengen evaluation was launched with the implementation of the new Schengen evaluation and monitoring mechanism Regulation.
This new approach shifts away from fragmented, policy-specific evaluations to country-centred assessments, providing a comprehensive view of each Member State’s overall performance. This gives a clearer picture of how well each Member State is doing in implementing Schengen rules and facilitates stronger political and operational follow-up on evaluation results .
To support this new approach, the Commission, in close cooperation with Schengen countries, has developed key tools for the effective implementation of the mechanism, including the new Schengen Evaluation Guide, the Standard Schengen Evaluations Questionnaire as well as the dedicated platform to monitor the implementation of the recommendations.
Schengen Country reports
Following each evaluation, the Commission adopts Schengen country reports, which provides an overview of the key issues affecting the good governance and management of the Schengen area in the evaluated Schengen country. The report sets out a number of recommendations that the Schengen country has to implement to ensure the well-functioning of the Schengen area.
In line with the 2023 and 2024 evaluation programmes, the Commission has already adopted the new Schengen Country reports. Click on a map to access these reports:
The 2025 evaluation programme has been established and will cover the application of the Schengen rules by Switzerland, Slovenia, Austria, Romania and Bulgaria.
Thematic evaluations
Thematic Schengen evaluations provide a unique opportunity to assess the state of implementation of Schengen rules at a given time across Member States and across policy areas. These evaluations provide an overview of how the Schengen area is performing in relation to specific focus areas. They offer a valuable foundation for shaping and implementing policy decisions and support peer-to-peer learning between Member States.
The mechanism applies to two different categories of Schengen countries and Schengen Associated Countries:
- Full Schengen countries, where controls at internal borders have been abolished following an in-depth first-time evaluation to ensure they comply with Schengen rules.
- Prospective Schengen States, following their accession to the EU or association to Schengen, in view of assessing the country’s readiness to fully apply the Schengen rules.
2023-2029 Multiannual Evaluation Programme
The provisional time schedule for verifying the application of the Schengen rules in each full Schengen country is established by the multiannual evaluation programme. It sets out which country will be evaluated in which year, as follows:
2023: Finland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia
2024: Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia
2025: Switzerland, Slovenia, Austria, Romania, Bulgaria
2026: Germany, Liechtenstein, The Netherlands, Belgium
2027: Luxembourg, France, Italy, Greece
2028: Malta, Spain, Portugal, Ireland
2029: Sweden, Iceland, Norway, Denmark
In line with the multiannual evaluation programme, the Commission adopts on an annual basis the annual evaluation programme, providing detailed schedules for the evaluations to be conducted in a given year. The annual evaluation programme can include: periodic evaluations, monitoring visits, as well as thematic evaluations.
Unannounced evaluations, which are those conducted without prior notice to ensure compliance, detect weaknesses, or respond to urgent concerns, are not included in the annual programme.
Given the peer-to-peer nature of the mechanism, evaluations are carried out by teams of experts from Member States, coordinated by the Commission, and supported by the relevant EU agencies and bodies (such as Frontex, Europol, eu-LISA and Fundamental Rights Agency).
To ensure the participation of a sufficient number of experienced experts, the Commission establishes annually a pool of experts. It is maintained in close cooperation with the Member States. Each Member State should appoint at least one expert for each of the relevant policy areas. The pool is, therefore, the primary source of experts for evaluation and monitoring activities. In October 2024, the Commission established the 2025 pool of experts with 524 Member State experts.
Training ensures high quality, and reliable evaluations. It also ensures consistency throughout the Schengen evaluation and monitoring activities.
In 2023, the Commission, in close cooperation with Schengen countries, established the first initial training Common Curriculum. Since then, more than 210 experts have been trained in initial training courses. All the successful trainees received a Schengen Evaluator certificate from the Schengen Coordinator. Moreover, in 2024, a training strategy was endorsed, which outlines the core elements of the Schengen evaluation training activities, based on short- and medium-term objectives with a view to implementing a coherent methodology for a common and integrated Schengen evaluation training framework.
The Schengen Evaluation and Monitoring Mechanism reflects a peer-to-peer approach ensuring shared responsibility towards the Schengen project. Evaluations and monitoring activities are carried out by experts from Member States, and the Commission, supported by observers from EU agencies.
It consists of two phases:
- Evaluations in which a team of experts visits the evaluated Member State. Based on the observation the team issues a report and recommendations to remedy the identified deficiencies.
- Monitoring, in which Member States report to the Commission and the Council on the progress made in implementing the recommended measures.
After the Schengen evaluation report is adopted and recommendations are issued, the process enters the monitoring phase. The evaluation findings are translated into remedial actions and structural reforms by the evaluated Member State, leading to improved application of Schengen rules. Therefore, the impact of the mechanism depends on the effective implementation of the individual recommendations.
The 2023-2029 multiannual evaluation programme covers a cycle of 7 years. It is accompanied by an increased, closer and more targeted monitoring of the Member States without reducing the level of scrutiny. The reinforced monitoring tools, notably the possibility to carry out verification visits, play a key role in this regard.
The Schengen Scoreboard is also a key tool supporting the monitoring of the implementation of recommendations. Delivered annually to the Schengen countries, it provides a holistic and integrated overview of Schengen evaluation results and highlights issues requiring urgent attention.
When serious deficiencies impacting the functioning of Schengen are identified, the evaluated Member State must take immediate action to address them. This includes mobilising all necessary operational and financial resources.
These remedial actions are subject to tighter time limits and closer political scrutiny and monitoring throughout the process, including through a revisit that needs to take place within a year. The Commission immediately informs the Council when an evaluation identifies a serious deficiency, including when it affects public policy and security within the Schengen area.
State of play of the serious deficiency identified in the previous evaluations.
In exceptional circumstances if the serious deficiencies concern shortcoming in the carrying out of external borders control, controls at the internal borders may be reintroduced temporarily to mitigate the risks in accordance with Articles 21 and 29 of the Schengen Borders Code.