Forum Topic

Schengen Shattering

The shattering of Schengen: The map that reveals how ELEVEN countries - from France to Slovakia, Sweden to Germany - are rebelling against EU free movement in the face of terrorism and out-of-control immigration.
Day by day, the face of Europe is dramatically changing as terrorist threats and out-of-control immigration destroy the EU's idyll of passport-free travel between its member states.
Border checks are springing up across the bloc in a scramble by governments to restore their sovereignty and bolster national security to safeguard citizens.
A detailed map compiled by the Mail shows how 11 nations in the Schengen area — from France to Slovakia, Sweden to Germany — have re-instated long-abandoned border restrictions including identity vetting, passport checks, police interviews, static checkpoints and vehicle inspections.
https://mol.im/a/12741131

Sue Hammond ● 589d11 Comments

Yes, Philippa, that highlighted some interesting statistics and trends.

Michael Ixer ● 588d

Aside from any politics the Schengen concept makes a lot of practical sense. Some European areas - Scandinavia and Benelux - dispensed with regular, rigorous border checks a while ago. (When I travelled between Copenhagen and Malmö for work purposes a couple of times in 1979 there were no border checks.) I'd guess some areas - for example, Alsace, Silesia - have swapped countries a few times while a couple of countries - Italy, Germany - only became unified states in the 19th century ... not forgetting that the Austrian Empire "unified" a lot of Eastern European until its demise in the early 20th century; then, of course, Napoleon tried his own version of a European Union … until he got to Waterloo. So perhaps if there's a history of border fluidity and if some of your relations might end up in another country five minutes round the corner borders are a bit of a nuisance and most of the time you're happy without them?Even the UK government now thinks very strict rules for French school visits is a bad idea so EU kids on school trips won't need a passport and non EU kids won't need visas:https://www.mirror.co.uk/travel/uk-ireland/uk-government-forced-loosen-brexit-31384525And across La Manche, the French senate backs ‘automatic visa’ right for UK second-home owners:https://www.connexionfrance.com/article/French-news/French-senate-backs-automatic-visa-right-for-UK-second-home-owners

Michael Ixer ● 588d

Barbara. The Life Scientific was very good this morning on Radio 4.  I'd highly recommend it.  You'd learn a lot - we all would on demographics.

Philippa Bond ● 588d

Perhaps your the sad one Richard, only about yourself all the time, speed, bikes. As long as your old car OK. A lot of ordinary people are being made homeless because there are too many people entering the country. You obviously think all the stabbings are OK until it happens to one of your family. Keep it up Richard the only person you think of is yourself.

Barbara Stevens ● 589d

Sue probably didn't realize it had been added, or couldn't get the picture on the forum.

Barbara Stevens ● 589d

What's more, Sue, posting the same feeble thing three times doesn't really add much to its effect 😸😸😸.

Richard Carter ● 589d

Interesting that this is the best the Brexiteers can do. They've given up on finding the benefits of Brexit because there clearly aren't any, so their backup is to sneer at the EU on whatever fictitious grounds the Daily Vile can invent. It's rather sad, really.

Richard Carter ● 589d

Yes, the Daily Mail has just copied these from the EU website and used a tool to produce a nice map in case their readers aren't familiar with Europe's geography:https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/policies/schengen-borders-and-visa/schengen-area/temporary-reintroduction-border-control_enInteresting that they don't note the documented end dates of each one - these are not permanent closures. There certainly weren't any border checks between France, Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany in the first half of this October. These temporary controls are just to meet the current security issues caused by, first, the Russian attack on the Ukraine and now the Middle East conflict in Gaza. If one remembers, there were temporary border controls in the Schengen area during the Covid crisis. I believe round about August time Portugal suspended Schengen on its borders for a few days because of some festival and they wanted to monitor visitors. Remember, in spite of the lies, all EU members are sovereign states :-) [If they weren't, they wouldn't be able to leave …]I'd note a similar situation can occur between US states. I've been stopped on the border going from Oregon to California. They were searching cars looking for illicit fruit :-)

Michael Ixer ● 589d

Hello Sue,I do not think Shengen has been shattered at all. This is Daily Mail ridiculous information.The basis for Shengen was free movement among EU Member States by nationals of those States or people from further afield who obtained the Shengen visa legally.  Sadly, since the wars in Syria and Afghanistan the people traffickers' business has flourished.  And their business included bringing people into Europe from areas of perfect peace.  Add to this the Russian invasion of Ukraine plus the disaster in Palestine, it is not difficult to see that European countries are worried by the threat of terrorism.  The article says it in as many words.Shengen has not been shattered but the political situation in the world will push for these temporary measures, unfortunately.

Ivonne Holliday ● 589d

So EU countries do have the ability to enforce additional border checks?

Carl Broadley ● 589d

Three entries! What is there to rejoice about? As the poet Robert Frost wrote: "Something there is that does not love a wall".

Alexander MacLeod ● 589d