Europe Might Close Its Borders Again, One At A Time

Just a few days ago I found myself stuck in traffic at the border between Slovenia and Austria. I was confused. Since when did we (in Schengen-Europe) have borders?

I've driven from Spain to Turkey and forth a few times in the last two years, and never before this summer had I encountered so many delays in trying to cross from one country to another. 

A month ago, Katrin Bennhold published this story on The New York Times about the border between Austria and Slovenia, wondering how much longer it would stay open.

Following Armin Tement's story, whose backyard is divided by the border, Bennhold highlights an issue of great concern in Europe today: the Schengen Area. 

Slovenia joined the European Union's passport-free travel zone in 2007. Until then, people lived divided by the border. Now they may have to go through checkpoints and interrogations again, as the border might be slowly closing. 

In July, Germany closed the Bavarian border to asylum seekers registered in other European Union countries. Austria's conservative government is threatening to do the same at the Italian border, while soldiers are already patrolling the border with Slovenia. 

That day at the border there was a random control. I was stopped as I was driving a Turkish-plated car, but I was allowed to continue without any trouble thanks to my Spanish passport. The same happened at a few more borders along the way, both Schengen and no-Schengen.

Europeans, I feel we tend to take Schengen for granted. No borders means easy travel and easy relocation—for work, for example. But not everyone perceives it as a win–win situation. Some believe we should close all the borders and go back to what we used to have before.

But why?

This is a great account of the fear of migrants in Europe and the deadly price that Europeans are already paying.

“You get so used to the open borders and all the advantages,” Mr Tement said. “You take them for granted—until you don’t have them anymore.”