EU to resume controls in Schengen area over influx of refugees

The European Union may reintroduce passport checks at its internal borders under plans triggered by France's concerns about an influx of North African migrants through Italy.

The European Commission said it would consider allowing controls in the Schengen area, a no-passport zone that comprises most EU nations, including Italy and France. Schengen members already face a push by the commission, the 27-nation EU's regulatory arm, to improve their external-border controls, according to Bloomberg.

"To safeguard the stability of the Schengen area, it may also be necessary to foresee the temporary reintroduction of limited internal border controls under very exceptional circumstances," the EU home affairs commissioner, Cecilia Malmstrom, told reporters.

The EU would also look to create a border patrol, intensify surveillance of Europe's frontiers and re-establish pacts with north African governments to control the flow of immigrants across the Mediterranean.

The commission announced the migration strategy after demands last week from France and Italy for a review of the Schengen agreement, which covers 25 European countries, The Guardian says.