The sky over Luxembourg is black and the future of the Schengen area is at least leaden. At the meeting of the interior ministers of the old continent, Europe is on stage, full of fear of the return of terrorism and the possible consequences of the intensification of the war in the Middle East. “The Schengen Agreement is not dead, but broken,” state Germany and Austria, while EU Interior Commissioner Ylva Johansson can only attest that the return of border controls “impairs freedom of movement.” And to avoid all this, Brussels wants to speed up what is now “a priority: the assisted voluntary repatriation of irregular refugees who pose a threat to security”. The agenda of the first Internal Affairs Council since the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas is being turned upside down. Before the 27-member meeting, nine member countries will meet for breakfast at Sweden’s invitation to take stock of counter-terrorism measures. These are mostly so-called Dublining countries (including France, Belgium and the Netherlands), i.e. those that have long been demanding that the countries of first arrival do not allow migrants to pass through without registering them. In fact, there is one fact that worries northern capitals: Abdesalem Lassoued, the Brussels murderer, “remained illegally in the EU for twelve years,” recalls Johansson. “The issue concerns the Dublin system, information exchange and border controls,” noted Swedish Minister Gunnar Strommer. The shadow of a new conflict between northern and southern Europe is once again looming on the horizon as the succession of notifications of Schengen suspension that various member states are sending or will send to Brussels intensifies. “There can be a domino effect,” explains Croatian Minister Davor Božinović.
Video Tajani: “Check the border with Slovenia and beware of those who radicalize”
The Meloni government has already sent this message – regarding the border with Slovenia. But “I have informed the EU that this is a measure that promises to be temporary and proportionate,” emphasizes Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi. On November 2nd, the head of the Interior Ministry will meet his counterparts from Croatia and Slovenia in Trieste to improve the level of coordination. “Rome guarantees the normal flow of border workers,” recommends Ljubljana representative Boštjan Poklukar, bitterly reminding reporters of the “unbearable” pandemic period. In view of this situation, the EU is initially aiming for a solution: the repatriation of suspected jihadists as quickly as possible. An ad hoc meeting with the high-level group representing all 27 will take place on Friday after the repatriation coordinator is convened. Brussels wants to eliminate member states’ discretion and speed up agreements with third countries. The model remains the Tunisian one because – emphasizes Johansson – cooperation has been good so far and illegal departures have fallen “by 80%” within a month. Meanwhile, the pressure from the EU Council is growing on the Euro Chamber to take the negotiating position on the rules on returns, which are stuck in the Commission due to the reservations expressed so far by the People’s Party. The aim of the Commission and the Council is to conclude the negotiations on returns and the migration pact within the Spanish semester. “After the technical problems in the implementation” before the European Championships, they risk not being there, warns Madrid. At the closed-door working lunch, ministers focused on the various aspects of the war in the Middle East, including the hostages (some originally from the Old Continent) and the Europeans still blockaded in Gaza. The aim in this second point is to increase pressure on Egypt to ensure that it leaves the Gaza Strip. But the EU is navigating by sight and repeating to every interlocutor the need for de-escalation.
EU: “Border controls affect freedom of movement”
“The Schengen area faces many challenges, internal controls are one of them, because even if they are justified by serious reasons, they affect freedom of movement,” said EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson at a press conference in Luxembourg. “Compared to before, however, there is more dialogue with member states, more coordination, more joint operations and fewer people stuck” at the border.
Commander of the Carabinieri ROS: “Serious threats, but no alarmism”
Threats “must always be taken very seriously, as in the past there have been cases of involvement in terrorist attacks by people who entered Italy illegally. There is no need to stoke alarmism, but these problems must be addressed carefully: we have efficient police structures capable of perceiving the risk and thereby increasing awareness,” Pasquale Angelosanto, commander of the Carabinieri ROS, said this on the sidelines of the “Safety and Health” conference in the Agazio Menniti Aula Magna of San Camillo in Rome.
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