Franco-German Schengen Proposal - A Vote of No Confidence in Europe

[FarCenter]

Germany and France's joint proposal to allow Schengen-zone countries to temporarily reintroduce border controls as a means of last resort might sound harmless. But doing so would damage one of the strongest symbols of European unity and perhaps even contribute to the EU's demise.

Germany and France are serious this time. During next week's meeting of European Union interior ministers, the two countries plan to start a discussion about reintroducing national border controls within the Schengen zone. According to the German daily Süddeutsche Zeitung, German Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich and his French counterpart, Claude Guéant, have formulated a letter to their colleagues in which they call for governments to once again be allowed to control their borders as "an ultima ratio" -- that is, measure of last resort -- "and for a limited period of time." They reportedly go on to recommend 30-days for the period.

Of course, using catchphrases like "ultima ratio" and "limited period of time" is supposed to make such policies sound reasonable and proportionate. After all, the reasoning goes, it's just a few occasional border controls for up to 30 days. What's the big deal, right?

But the proposal is far from harmless and would throw Europe back decades. Since 1995, the citizens of Schengen-zone countries have gotten used to freely traveling within Continental Europe. Next to the euro common currency, free movement is probably the strongest symbol of European unity. Indeed, for many people, it's what makes this abstract idea tangible in the first place.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,828815,00.html

[pampango]

1. Green party chairwoman: Border shake-up proposal dismissed as 'right-wing populism'

"The French President is attempting to improve his hopeless situation with right-wing populist rhetoric," Green party chairwoman Claudia Roth told the Hamburger Abendblatt on Saturday.

Critics say the proposal to radically reform the Schengen agreement - which abolished frontier controls in 1995 – would be a retrograde step for Europe. Under the agreement immigrants to Europe are allowed to move freely between states once inside the Schengen area without having to show identification.

"A Europe without border installations and tollgates was the dream of all those who began the European unification process," German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle told Focus magazine on Saturday. "We can’t jeopardize that now and especially not for small, tactical electoral gains."

"The community law of the union can’t be annulled by a bilateral announcement of two Interior Ministers," he told the Passauer Neuen Presse on Saturday. (President of the EU Parliament Martin) Schultz told the paper the "strange" proposal would not find majority support in the EU Council or in the EU Parliament.

http://www.thelocal.de/national/20120421-42087.html

[Taitertots]

2. Well, they don't want any of the economic refugees that they are creating to bother them

Germans want an EU that exists to preserve their profits at all costs. It is obvious that they would want to prepare for the economic results of their policies.

The EU can either protect the weakest economies or protect the bottom line of the strongest.

[FarCenter]

3. The main problem is that Greece and Italy aren't deporting immigrants back to Turkey & North Africa

[Taitertots]

4. So you think the main problem is that the French and Germans are Xenophobic?

I think the main problem is that the Germans are aware that an influx of economic refugees would collapse their economic system.

[FarCenter]

5. Yes, the problem is that the external eastern and southern borders are not controlled

Granted, the Schengen system is not perfect. With the EU's eastward expansion, its external borders have become more porous. The problem areas are well-known: Greece doesn't sufficiently guard its border with Turkey, and Italy simply allows refugees through to continue their journey into neighboring countries. Doing so violates the Schengen Agreement, which stipulates that immigrants have to be taken care of by the country in which they arrive.

Excerpt from the article. Since Greece and Italy aren't sealing their borders, free movement within the Schengen area is at risk.

It is mostly economic, since Europe does not want to be overrun by refugees from South Asia, Middle East, and Africa.