The European dream, big words little doing: take for instance the foreseen growth of the Schengen area. EU member state Slovenia is demolishing bridges along its border with Croatia. Austria has to dismantle border controls with Slovakia but is setting up military checkpoints just within the Austrian countryside.
In 1985 five European countries (Belgium, France, Germany, Luxemburg and the Netherlands) decided in Schengen (Luxemburg) to scrap internal border controls. This necessitates common visas, more police cooperation and control of the common external border, The ‘Schengen’ commitment was incorporated into European law in 1997.Nowadays the ‘Schengen’ area consisted of the ‘old’ 15 EU member states, minus 2, plus 2. The UK and Ireland didn’t join as all the others did, but two non-EU countries, Norway and Iceland, came in. Especially the joining of Italy in 1997 and Greece in 2000 raised worries in the other countries, but it turned out to be unfounded.
When ten new members joined the 15 in May 2004, all were committed to joining the Schengen area completely. But they had to prepare this step, which required a lot of changes. Police had to be trained to take over the border controls from the army. The new members had to link their databases to the Schengen Information System, which tracks criminals and stolen cars. Nine of the new countries (all except Cyprus) think they are plugged in and should get to join by the end of the year.
Now, at the doorstep of the enlargement of the Schengen area there are again serious concerns. The Austrian concern is Slovakia with its short border with Ukraine, that cuts through dense forests and the Carpathian mountains, what is seen as a very weak point in the enlarged Schengen area. But experts are not really worrying about the nine countries joining in December, nor of Switzerland, the third non EU-country, and Cyprus which will join during 2008, but of Bulgaria and Romania, which hope to join in 2011. Low pay and widespread corruption will make their border controls weak.
But there are more problems, on the outside of the new Schengen border. Unofficial crossings between member state Slovenia and Croatia are being closed. Visitors from Croatia will need a Schengen visa, which can cost €60. Same problem for people from Ukraine who can travel free to Poland till ‘Schengen’ will be there and have to pay.
Some new Schengen members want to ease entry requirements for their neighbours. But in the EU, ‘the rules are the rules’, according to the European Commission. Some EU neighbours at the east side are given the idea that a new iron curtain is born.
