Delegates from all 27 EU member states are gathering in Brussels on 12–13 November for the latest meeting of the Council’s Working Party for Schengen Matters. High on the agenda is the follow-up to Austria’s 2025 periodic Schengen evaluation, which identified shortcomings in information exchange, risk analysis and the consistent use of the Entry/Exit System (EES) at land crossings with Slovakia, Czechia, Hungary and Slovenia. According to the Presidency “flash note” circulated to national parliaments, officials will examine whether Vienna’s action plan – submitted in September and costed at €48 million – is adequate to close the gaps by the 2027 deadline. Particular scrutiny is expected on Austria’s deployment of mobile licence-plate readers and its plans to connect regional police databases to the Schengen Information System II in real time. If member states conclude that progress is insufficient, the Council could adopt a formal Implementing Decision requiring Austria to take “remedial actions”, including weekly reporting and on-site verification visits. Such a step would be politically sensitive: Austria already operates temporary controls on its internal Schengen borders, citing security threats linked to the Middle East and Russia’s war on Ukraine. For multinational companies the evaluation matters because unresolved deficiencies can translate into longer waits at road corridors such as the A4 and A9 corridors and stricter document checks for posted workers. Mobility teams should monitor the Council conclusions and be ready to brief travellers on any new compliance measures (e.g. mandatory pre-notification of passenger lists for cross-border coaches) that might arise from the remedial plan.
