Another blow to Schengen

Another Schengen zone member is tightening border controls as Brussels copes with dual crises involving two of the European Union's key tenets: the euro currency and now the border-free travel zone.

Denmark announced May 12 that it would reinstitute checks on borders with Sweden and Germany. The move came just days after French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi jointly called for reform of the Schengen zone rules.

The Danish decision has sparked anger both in Brussels and Berlin, with German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle asking the Danes to "give an explanation" within hours of the policy shift.

European Commission President José Manuel Barroso was even more pointed in a May 13 letter to Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen. Barroso said the increased border presence "appear[s] to put in question the smooth functioning of Europe's single market and the benefits that an integrated area without internal borders brings for both businesses and citizens."   

The Czech Foreign Affairs Ministry has been thus far largely quiet on the controversy that was triggered in part by a flood of more than 23,000 North African refugees into Italy and the resulting decision of Italian authorities to grant temporary visas to many of those migrants.

"We understand that Italy finds itself in an uneasy situation and tries to find a rapid solution," the Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a statement.

"However, we have to point out there are binding rules for all member states, such as the Schengen border code and Schengen acquis in its whole. We believe that, despite the acute situation, no rash reactions should be taken."

When taken in context, both the Franco-Italian calls for reform and the Danish actions may have much more to do with domestic politics than an actual desire to see an end to visa-free travel. 

According to French opinion polls, Sarkozy is facing a growing challenge on the right from Marine Le Pen's National Front, and many view these moves as an attempt to play on anti-immigrant furor in order to capture some of those voters. In Denmark, a similar trend is afoot as the "government came to an agreement with the far right," said Massimo Merlino with the Centre for European Policy Studies, a Brussels-based think-tank. Rasmussen and his center-right government face elections this year.

"We know that it is now fashionable in some quarters to be extremist or populist or even to wave sometimes the flags of xenophobia," Barroso said in a recent speech before the European Parliament. "This in not what we are going to do. We will resist all these kinds of pressure."

Merlino called the developments "a bit worrying" and pointed to the growing prevalence of "populist discourse."

"Schengen is based on the principle of solidarity," he said. "As the Italian case illustrates, there hasn't been solidarity."

Merlino said Danish plans called for restrictions that are "more systematic" including cameras and customs officers at the borders that might not just affect the travel of people, but also goods and services. 

"There is a solution to be found by means of consultations among the member states and the European Commission, while respecting EU legislation," the Foreign Affairs Ministry said. "Moreover, any chosen reaction shouldn't trigger limiting factors to economic migration."

The Schengen zone includes 25 countries: all EU members except Ireland, the United Kingdom, Bulgaria, Romania and Cyprus, plus three non-EU states: Iceland, Norway and Switzerland.

Benjamin Cunningham can be reached at
bcunningham@praguepost.com