Opinion | Europe Wasn’t Built to Be Like This

Last year, while crossing a bridge over the Rhine, I encountered a checkpoint that blocked the route between France and Germany on the Pont de l’Europe. Borders are closing in Europe due to various reasons, including ongoing crises in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, increasing migratory pressures, and the risk of terrorist infiltration. France mentions threats to public policy and public order, while Germany cites the global security situation. Austria, the Netherlands, and Italy also point to irregular migration issues.

The European integration once promised the abolition of borders and free movement of people, goods, and capital in a single market. This promise was embodied in the Schengen zone, an area of open borders formed by a treaty among several European countries. However, the fear of immigrants moving freely across Europe has made Schengen a fragile project.

Schengen once symbolized liberal internationalism and European unity built after World War II. Today, it represents Europe’s migration crisis and the backlash against globalization and the rise of illiberalism. Paradoxes have always haunted Schengen’s history, with a significant moment being the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, which almost jeopardized the opening of Europe’s borders.

In 1989, the Schengen treaty was supposed to be completed, but the revolutionary events in Eastern Europe and the mass movements of people following the fall of the Berlin Wall disrupted the negotiations. The prospect of German reunification and the extension of Schengen’s frontier eastward posed challenges to free movement guarantees.

Despite the disruptions, the Schengen treaty was finally signed in June 1990, outlining security measures and provisions for the fortification of external frontiers. However, the restrictions on migrants from Eastern Europe and other regions remained in place, highlighting the precarious nature of free movement in a world where open borders pose significant risks.

Today, Schengen’s vulnerability is evident in the chaos of Europe’s border measures, with frontiers expanding and internal borders hardening in response to globalization-related issues. This ongoing trend signals the gradual demise of Schengen as a result of multiple challenges and obstacles.