EUROPE - For the first time in EU history, Germany is at the forefront of immigration suspension. Other EU countries will follow. The Schengen Area is an area encompassing 29 European countries that have officially abolished border controls at their mutual borders. Germany’s government announced plans to impose tighter controls at all of the country’s land borders in what it called an attempt to tackle irregular migration and protect the public from threats such as Islamist extremism. The controls within what is normally a wide area of free movement – the European Schengen zone – will start on September 16 and initially last for six months, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said on Monday. This is a serious threat to the whole idea of Schengen. This is where the unravelling of Europe could be starting.
Schengen is enshrined in treaty. No country will propose any changes. Instead, every county will ignore the treaty on grounds of a “higher law”. Given there are now higher laws than the EU treaties, I have a question: When does France or Italy say the same thing about budget rules? Such logic could finally spell the end of EU and Eurozone Monetary Union (EMU) rules.