France’s decision to impose border controls in the lead up to the climate change conference follows similar actions taken by a number of European Union states this year, with many countries reintroducing controls to try and stem the flow of refugees and migrants.
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Thousands of people are expected to descend on Paris later this month, including heads of state and governments from around the world, to hash out a new agreement to fight climate change.
The controls are part of larger security measures around the conference, which is taking place between November 30 and December 11, according to interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve.
Cazeneuve, speaking on BFM TV, noted that Europe’s Schengen border-free travel scheme allowed for controls to be temporarily restored for such events.
France is especially conscious of the terrorist threat after January’s jihadist attacks in Paris. It cites Schengen rules allowing controls “when there is a serious threat to public policy”. Since then, the country has seen several other smaller attacks or attempts, including when a heavily armed Islamic radical was prevented by young American passengers from attacking a high-speed train in August.
The agreement will be backed by a roster of national pledges for reducing greenhouse gas emissions blamed for global warming. Organizers are expecting 40,000 people to visit the capital for the conference over two weeks. The country saw particularly violent protests during a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation summit in Strasbourg in 2009, when members of the violence-prone “black bloc” attacked police and set a hotel and customs station ablaze, leaving many injured and disrupting official meetings.
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The Paris Climate Conference, known as COP 21, kicks off on November 30.
