Germany backs Sarkozy on border protection

Brussels: Germany is backing the demand of French President Nicolas Sarkozy to give nations of the Schengen borderless zone more independent means to close off their national territory "as a last resort”.
Only days ahead of France`s first round of Presidential Elections where illegal immigration is a major issue, Berlin and Paris sent a joint letter to the EU demanding the "non-negotiable" right to re-establish national border controls for a month if need be.
Sarkozy has threatened that, if re-elected, he could pull France out of Europe`s border-free travel zone if more is not done to tackle illegal immigration. The purpose of the Schengen zone is to make travel easier between its 25 member countries.

Bureau Report