Report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council of 24 July 2009 on the implementation and functioning of the local border traffic regime introduced by Regulation (EC) No 1931/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down rules on local border traffic at the external land borders of the Member States [COM(2009) 383final - not published in the Official Journal].

Report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council of 24 July 2009 on the implementation and functioning of the local border traffic regime introduced by Regulation (EC) No 1931/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down rules on local border traffic at the external land borders of the Member States [COM(2009) 383final - not published in the Official Journal].

EUROPA - EU law and publications - EUR-Lex - EUR-Lex - l14506 - EN - Local border traffic at external land borders

1. This Regulation establishes a local border traffic regime at the external borders of the Member States and introduces, for that purpose, a specific document that entitles border residents to cross the border under the local border traffic regime.

The regulation proposed by the Commission for the temporary external borders, Article 1 of which lays down that the 'regime of local border traffic' which applies at the external borders should also apply at the temporary external borders to local border traffic, i.e. regular crossing of the external land border of a Member State by persons legally resident in the border area of a neighbouring country with the aim of remaining in the border area of the Member State (limited to 50 km) for a period limited by the regulation (a maximum of seven consecutive days and, at all events, not more than three months per half-year).

Out of a concern to 'facilitat[e] the crossing of external borders for bona fide third-country nationals living in the border areas that have legitimate and valid grounds for regularly crossing the border and do not pose any security threat', the Commission has drafted a proposal for a regulation on local border traffic at the external borders, so as to ensure that, after enlargement, the new external border does not impede trade, social and cultural exchange or regional cooperation.