Paris criticises Schengen staff recruitment drive

THE French government is protesting over unfair recruitment practices in the Brussels-based Schengen secretariat, the body set up in 1996 to oversee the day-to-day running of the Schengen free movement zone.Paris claims that officials from the Benelux countries make up a disproportionate number of the secretariat staff, and is calling for the balance to be redressed before the end of the year, when all 70 Schengen officials are due to be incorporated into the secretariat of the EU's Council of Ministers. At present, the body does not have any French nationals as employees.As the merger between the Schengen and Council secretariats is laid down in the Amsterdam Treaty, it cannot go ahead unless all EU governments ratify the treaty by the deadline of 31 December 1998.Some observers fear that the recruitment issue may delay the French national assembly's ratification procedures which are due to begin in the autumn.