Migratory pressures

Refugees, barriers and barbed wire. The foundations of Schengen- Europe are shaking

The unstoppable flow of refugees from Africa and the Middle East to Europe shed light on a set of problems involving the EU’s external borders. Many Countries have restored national border checks, while agreements regulating the free movement of people in the EU are at risk

di Gianni Borsa

20 Gennaio 2016

Not all walls are the same. But in the end, what is true for one is true for the other, when the implication is that the borders are closed. We are inside, you are outside, and that’s where you have to stay. Walls, barbed wire, along with the resumption of border controls, represent the opposite of one of four principles – enshrined in the Treaty – on which Community integration reposes, namely, the free movement of people, goods, services and capitals. These are the four pillars on which was erected the “common home”, as it had been conceived in the 1950s, signed by its founding Countries and ratified by all the Countries which in the meantime have joined the European project. The Schengen agreements were thus adopted in the years between the 1980s and the 1990s to regulate the free movement of EU citizens. However, under strong migration pressures from Africa and the Middle East, the picture has radically changed. Thus, while the Iron Curtain separating Eastern Europe was torn down, contemporary Europe continues to build insurmountable boundaries.

The knot of external borders. In the past days, European governments and EU institutions have been undergoing strong tensions. In fact, several Schengen-area Countries, which in principle guarantee the free movement of people, are calling for the suspension of this principle and ask to restore border controls -, to prevent – that’s the reason – an excessive influx of migrants and refugees from third Countries.

In fact, external borders, often described as “leaky sieves”, are the weak spot of the Schengen area.

The Schengen area currently includes 26 countries: 22 are EU member Countries (United Kingdom and Ireland renounced from the very beginning; 4 are “candidate-Countries”: Croatia, Romania, Bulgaria, Cyprus), plus Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. Seven of these States have asked – under a procedure authorized by the treaties – to “temporarily suspend” the free movement of persons and to reintroduce, since last fall, controls at national borders. These are: Germany, France, Sweden, Denmark, Malta, Norway and Austria. And in the past few days Vienna has informed the European Commission about its intention to extend until the end of February the period of suspension of agreements with Hungary and Slovenia, but not with Italy. Slovenia has also announced that it may in turn suspend Schengen.

“No” to non-Community nationals. Thus the “hot” areas that have reintroduced border controls are those between Sweden and Denmark, between Denmark and Germany, between Germany and Austria, Hungary and Slovenia, between France and its neighbouring countries…

In point of fact, the situation is marked by increasing lack of confidence towards bordering Countries.

Moreover, passport checks underlie the intention to curb the arrival of refugees from Africa, Syria, Kurdistan, Iran, Iraq, and from other non-EU countries. The “official” decision to suspend the Schengen agreements is coupled by other forms of discontinuation. Poland and Slovakia announced that they are contrary to accepting new arrivals. Even the government of Bratislava stated that it would not accept “Muslim” refugees, a blatantly discriminatory measure. Barbed wire fences – and the like – have been set up on large areas between Hungary and Serbia, Hungary and Croatia, Croatia and Slovenia, Greece and Macedonia, Bulgaria and Turkey, while there are plans to separate the border between Russia and Estonia with a razor wire barrier.

Requisition of goods. There are also subtler – albeit no less devastating – ways to erect barriers. So first Denmark, and then Switzerland, have announced their intention to proceed with the requisition of goods to people with non-Schengen passports at customs checks. For its part, the British government would like the EU to recognize the possibility of suspending for four-years all welfare benefits to EU citizens who decide to migrate to London (a proposal in stark contrast with EU Treaties).

Emblematic significance. The Schengen-issue is but a chapter of a large-scale migration tragedy that has been afflicting Europe for a long time. However,

the very implementation of the Schengen agreement is emblematic of Europe’s ability to provide joint answers to joint problems,

as is the case of other contexts involving EU exposure, from the economy to the single currency, from the internal market to energy union, from the fight on terror to trade agreements with the United States… It is no coincidence that EU Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker has returned on the issue on January 19: “Today, Schengen rules are easily breached” with “new walls” and with “limits to free movement” inside the EU. “Tomorrow we will realise the price we’ll have to pay for that”, in terms of fundamental rights, of the cooperation between national governments, as well as “in economic and financial terms”, since “freedom of movement” is “a cornerstone of EU single market.” On the same day, Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, declared: “There is no alternative to securing external borders” or else, “Schengen will collapse”.

Thus Schengen is at risk, along with the ability to create a truly – and effective – united Europe.