More and more states reintroduce border controls in order to combat illegal migration. And in some cases it is about successive extensions, although the imposition of controls is temporarily allowed, in exceptional cases. Foreign policy analyst Răzvan Munteanu, is of the opinion that these checks could also be transformed into a negotiation tool.
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On Saturday, on June 14, Foreign Minister Emil Hurezeanu emphasized, during the event organized on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Schengen area, the historical importance of Romania’s belonging to the Schengen area and its role in strengthening the cohesion, unity and resilience of the European project. The anniversary of the European free movement was a topic of debate on the European Parliament’s plenary.
However, a political analysis shows that, despite the anniversary moment, the European free movement is faced with a crisis. The Schengen area of the European Union is no longer the space of free dynamic and optimistic circulation, notes the publication.
The pact signed in the town of Schengen in Luxembourg, by five European countries (Belgium, Germany, France, the Netherlands and Luxembourg) should allow travel without borders today for 450 million people from 29 countries, of which four are not part of the EU. Basically, border control is allowed only in exceptional, temporary situations.
Starting with June, however, 11 of the 29 informed the European Commission that they intend to reintroduce border checks. Ten of these have announced measures valid over a period of six months, and in many cases, these are successive extensions of some controls already applied for a long time. These include key countries such as Germany, France, Austria, Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands.
In some cases, measures have a significant impact. This is the case of Luxembourg, where, due to the controls imposed by Germany, thousands of commuters are affected daily, and the Luxembourg government has filed a complaint with the European Commission.
Possible negotiation tool
Foreign policy analyst Răzvan Munteanu points out that decisions are not unexpected, in the context in which military conflicts are among the main causes that cause states to make such decisions:
“We have known such evolutions. It is not a novelty, it is a response of the systemic crisis in which we are at the moment. Let us not forget that we have a conflict that would risk taking a very large magnitude in the Middle East and would mean a huge flow of emigrants to Europe, in a dark scenario of the events there. I repeat, they have taken them over time and have been in accordance with their security perceptions for a relatively short or average period. ”
On the other hand, decisions regarding the implementation of border controls, “For some states it could be a subject of renegotiation” of migrant quotas imposed within the Pact on migration and asylum.
“The decisions of the 11 states, obviously it could be a negotiation point with Brussels and the European Commission. The Pact for Migration is not accepted by many Member States. We have here the example of Poland and Hungary, if we want to refer to the states with which we compare ourselves from the point of view of decision -making instruments, but also from the point of view of social and economic capacities. sensitive to the European Union level. Răzvan Popescu also explains.
Illegal migration
Illegal migration is the main reason invoked by most countries, including Germany, France, Italy and Austria. In the context, in a written statement, the Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration, Magnus Brunner, said that the power of the Schengen space is closely related to the protection of the external borders of the EU.
He transmitted that, against the backdrop of these issues, the European Commission “It is committed to strengthening the protection of our external borders, solving problems related to migration management and ensure that law enforcement have the necessary tools to counteract threats ”, he said.
The European Union adopted in June 2024 the pact on migration and asylum, which would apply from the middle of 2026.
