Italy and france ask eu to revise schengen border treaty

Italy and France asked the European Union today to revise the Schengen border treaty that permits passport-free travel through Europe to take into account "exceptional" situations like the recent massive flood of Tunisian immigrants.

France has harshly criticized Italy for granting temporary residency permits to some 20,000 Tunisian migrants who have arrived in Italy since the North Africa nation's dictator was overthrown in mid-January. Most Tunisians want eventually to get to France, Tunisia's former colonial ruler, where many have relatives.

Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi and French President Nicolas Sarkozy said they had signed a joint letter to the EU during a summit on Tuesday and had appointed officials to work on the issue.

"We want Schengen to survive, but to survive Schengen must be reformed," Sarkozy told reporters after the meeting. "We believe in free circulation but we believe in a state of law and a certain number of rules."  

Source: Associated Press/The Independent