Defenders of the Schengen Zone Face a Battle

Economic and social unrest in North Africa contribute to increasing illegal immigration to Europe, and extremist parties take advantage of the turmoil to blast European cooperation over open borders. “At the very least, there will be new ways for countries to re-impose temporary border controls within the Schengen zone, which has expanded since its inception in 1995 to include most EU countries as well as Switzerland, Norway and Iceland,” suggests Stanley Pignal for the Financial Times. He notes that the UK is not party to the Schengen agreement. Trust is breaking down among EU members about guarding borders and shouldering costs, Pignal explains. Increasing anxiety about handling growing numbers of immigrants benefits populist, ultranationalist political parties and triggers new controls on immigrants from Africa or elsewhere in Europe. Nations could soon discover that increased restrictions will increase enforcement costs and complicate travel for all. – YaleGlobal