The issues arising from the refugee crisis in Europe can lead to the breakdown of the European Union. Most of the EU members suffering from the influx of migrants call for closing the internal borders for some time, as they do not see other ways to solve the problem. At the same time, freedom of movement is the foundation of the Schengen Agreement. The border shutdown will inevitably lead to the fall of the European Union.
In his latest speech, President of the European Council Donald Tusk emphasized the importance of the current situation. "We have no more than two months to get things under control. The statistics over the Christmas period were not encouraging, with over 2,000 arrivals to the EU per day. The March European Council summit will be the last moment to see if our strategy works. If it does not, we will face grave consequences, such as the collapse of Schengen. For sure this kind of alternative to our strategy is not pleasant," the official said.
Donald Tusk is not the first politician who expressed such worries. This January, Chancellor of Austria Werner Faymann announced that the Schengen Agreement was temporarily suspended. “As we all know from the Roman Empire, big empires go down if the borders are not well-protected,” Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said earlier. Lately, the European policymakers have been regularly addressing the issue of the refugee crisis. They understand that the existing rules of free movement of people under the Schengen Agreement can no longer apply.
