The commuters who are stuck at the Oresund bridge between the Danish
capital Copenhagen and Malmö in Sweden are annoyed by the newly
introduced border checks: They are wasting time now and may have to pay a
much higher price in the future if they are forced to find new jobs or
move if daily cross-border travel gets too difficult to manage.
But on a bigger scale the new controls hamper cross-border trade and impact on economic development in the border regions.
It's been thirty years since the picturesque village of Schengen, situated amid vineyards on the banks of the River Mosel, lent its name to an agreement on border-free travel across the European continent. Now the name could come to symbolize the defeat of the European idea.
The Schengen agreement and the introduction of the euro, the common European currency, are seen as the two pillars of the European Union. Barriers and passport controls have become things of the past, giving way to a relaxed, good neighborliness. Large regions have developed where people forge personal relationships, commute to work or school effortlessly from one country to another
.
But all this is in jeopardy now just to limit the influx of more refugees.
Read more: Opinion: The return of barriers in Europe? | Opinion | DW.COM | 05.01.2016
But on a bigger scale the new controls hamper cross-border trade and impact on economic development in the border regions.
It's been thirty years since the picturesque village of Schengen, situated amid vineyards on the banks of the River Mosel, lent its name to an agreement on border-free travel across the European continent. Now the name could come to symbolize the defeat of the European idea.
The Schengen agreement and the introduction of the euro, the common European currency, are seen as the two pillars of the European Union. Barriers and passport controls have become things of the past, giving way to a relaxed, good neighborliness. Large regions have developed where people forge personal relationships, commute to work or school effortlessly from one country to another
.
But all this is in jeopardy now just to limit the influx of more refugees.
Read more: Opinion: The return of barriers in Europe? | Opinion | DW.COM | 05.01.2016
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