The risk of dissolution of the Schengen area

European Council President Donald Tusk stated yesterday, before the European Parliament’s plenary session, that the European Union has two months to tackle the migration crisis; otherwise the passport-free Schengen area will collapse, European and Turkish media widely report. While explaining that the reactivation of border controls would have very high economic costs, EC President Jean-Claude Juncker said, in a speech in the European Parliament garnering media attention notably in Italy, Spain, Portugal Greece, Belgium, Austria and Romania, that it makes no sense to have a single currency without the freedom of movement of people, and a shared market.

The fact that many states have revoked the Schengen treaty is endangering the solidity of the foundations of the European Union, he stressed. The European Union “will not survive” without a common EU policy on immigration, Mr Juncker said, warning that the EU itself is “threatened” and, perhaps, “does not realise” it is. Everything is connected – the hotspots, the redistribution of refugees, the protection of the external borders of the EU – Mr Juncker stressed, as highlighted by Austrian media; only jointly will these measures reduce the inflow of refugees and diminish the threat for the Schengen area. Consolidating control at the EU’s external borders, accelerating the creation of hotspot centres in Greece and Italy, and distributing refugees among EU states based on the mandatory quotas system are the main elements of the strategy Mr Tusk referred to, further reads Adevarul.ro.

According to Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy Johannes Hahn, the reinforcement of the external borders should already be a fact instead of still being a topic of discussion. Speaking at a Sofia conference on Tuesday, Mr Hahn argued that migration is a global challenge and a test for the EU, adding that due to the scope of the problem Europe should work as a single country to tackle it, Focus News reports. “The time to act has come,” he said, pledging his office would do its best for Southeast Europe not becoming a parking lot for migrants heading for other European countries which have closed their borders.

The EU, the FT reports, is to scrap rules that make the first country a refugee enters responsible for his asylum claim, revolutionising the bloc’s migration policy. The EU’s ‘first country’ system has been widely ignored during the migration crisis, The Independent comments, with officials claiming that the rules were never followed even prior to the recent mass movement of people. The move for reform comes after Greece, in particular, came under criticism for failing to set up basic facilities for refugees. Mr Avramopoulos actually told Süddeutsche Zeitung that a possible eviction of Greece from the Schengen area will not help limit the arrival of the refugees, and claimed that the hotspots in Greece and Italy will be operationally ready in four weeks, a story garnering media attention in Greece and in some other countries.

As to Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, who is due to visit Berlin next week, he ratcheted up a row with Germany as pressure grew on the country to better identify migrants arriving on its shores. “Why are we under pressure on this when Europe has done so little to honour a deal on relocating migrants? Italy is an important partner in Europe and is asking to be treated as such when it seems some partners are more equal than others,” a source close to Mr Renzi told The Times. Europe is indeed gradually giving up on Schengen, Le Monde reports, as pressure is mounting against German Chancellor Angela Merkel and member states are increasing border controls. Despite Ms Merkel’s statements that closing borders is an illusory solution, Germany, like many other member states, has started taking liberties with Schengen.

The country now refuses refugees at its border with Austria as a consequence of decisions made in Sweden and Denmark, creating, in turn, tensions with Austria and Slovenia. Austria will hold a migration summit on 20 January, with the intention of reducing the number of entries in 2016. Few believe that, at the expiration of their current border control authorisation, these countries will be willing to return to normal. An op-ed in NRC Handelsblad is warning that if countries decide to reintroduce border controls, Europe will suffer economic losses. Teacher at the Free University of Amsterdam Monica den Boer says, in a more positive note, that the presidency of the EU is for the Netherlands the ideal opportunity to strengthen Schengen.