Poland’s recent border checks with Germany and Lithuania may signal the beginning of the end for the European Union’s (EU) borderless travel area, known as Schengen. The measures are justified by national security concerns, but analysts see them as a symptom of increasing fragmentation within the EU.
The Schengen Area allows passport-free travel across 29 countries, facilitating the free movement of over 450 million people and underpinning Europe’s single market. However, with recent border checks introduced in several member states, including Poland, Germany, France, Austria, Slovenia, and Denmark, experts warn that the EU’s internal borders are becoming increasingly porous.
Critics argue that these measures are more about optics than outcomes, as smugglers and irregular migrants often exploit weaknesses in the current system. Migration researcher Davide Colombi notes that “Smugglers or those trying to enter irregularly know exactly how to avoid official checkpoints… The controls don’t stop them. They only create the illusion of control.”
The economic cost of reinstating internal border checks is substantial, with estimates suggesting delays of up to 60 minutes for heavy vehicles and a loss of €320 million per year for the transport sector. This could lead to higher prices, slower supply chains, and lost cross-border jobs.
Experts warn that if Schengen falls apart, the economic damage could be severe. Reinstated border checks would disrupt just-in-time supply chains, increase transport costs, particularly in logistics-heavy sectors like agriculture, retail, and manufacturing. The symbolic loss of Schengen as a symbol of European unity and identity could also have profound consequences for citizens.
To prevent this, both experts argue that the EU and its member states must recommit to the core idea behind Schengen: that Europeans should be able to move freely, without fear, delay, or political posturing, across their shared continent. This requires more than just legal tweaks or digital tools; it demands political courage, rebuilding of mutual trust between member states, and enforcement by the European Commission.
The fate of Schengen remains uncertain, but one thing is clear: the EU’s internal borders are becoming increasingly fragile, and the consequences of failure could be severe.
Source: https://www.dw.com/en/polands-new-border-checks-the-beginning-of-the-end-of-free-travel-in-europe/a-73185689