The masks have fallen. Hand in hand, the European Union and the Frontex want to cancel national sovereignty and take over border controls in the pretext of “safeguarding the Schengen borders”. With controversial claims, they use the case of Greece to create an example that could soon happen “in the border area near you.” And the plan is all German.
EU considers measures to intervene if states’ borders are not guarded
The European Union is considering a measure that would give a new EU border force powers to intervene and guard a member state’s external frontier to protect the Schengen open-borders zone, EU officials and diplomats said yesterday in Brussels.
Such a move would be controversial. It might be blocked by states wary of surrendering sovereign control of their territory. But the discussion reflects fears that Greece’s failure to manage a flood of migrants from Turkey has brought Schengen’s open borders to the brink of collapse.
Germany’s Thomas de Maiziere, in Brussels for a meeting of EU interior ministers, said he expected proposal from the EU executive due on December 15 to include giving responsibility for controlling a frontier with a non-Schengen country to Frontex, the EU’s border agency, if a member state failed to do so.
“The Commission should put forward a proposal … which has the goal of, when a national state is not effectively fulfilling its duty of defending the external border, then that can be taken over by Frontex,” de Maiziere told reporters.
He noted a Franco-German push for Frontex, whose role is largely to coordinate national border agencies, to be complemented by a permanent European Border and Coast Guard – a measure the European Commission has confirmed it will propose.
Greece has come under heavy pressure from states concerned about Schengen this week to accept EU offers of help on its borders.
Diplomats have warned that Athens might find itself effectively excluded from the Schengen zone if it failed to work with other Europeans to control migration.
Earlier this week, Greece finally agreed to accept help from Frontex, averting a showdown at the ministerial meeting in Brussels.
EU diplomats said the proposals to bolster defence of the external Schengen frontiers would look at whether the EU must rely on an invitation from the state concerned.
“One option could be not to seek the member state’s approval for deploying Frontex but activating it by a majority vote among all 28 members,” an EU official said.
Under the Schengen Borders Code, the Commission can now recommend a state accept help from other EU members to control its frontiers. But it cannot force it to accept help – something that may, in any case, not be practicable.
The code also gives states the right to impose controls on internal Schengen borders if external borders are neglected.
As Greece has no land border with the rest of the Schengen zone, that could mean obliging ferries and flights coming from Greece to undergo passport checks.
Asked whether an EU force should require an invitation or could be imposed by the bloc, Swedish Interior Minister Anders Ygeman said: “Border control is the competence for the member states, and it’s hard to say that there is a need to impose that on member states forcefully.
“On the other hand,” he said, referring to this week’s pressure on Greece, “we must safeguard the borders of Schengen, and what we have seen is that if a country is not able to protect its own border, it can leave Schengen or accept Frontex. It’s not mandatory, but in practice it’s quite mandatory.”
A dramatic increase in EU powers over national territory would be deeply controversial in much of Europe.
On Thursday, Danes, who are part of the Schengen zone, heeded Eurosceptic calls and voted against giving their government power to deepen its cooperation with the EU policy agency.
The European Union faces another test over the next two years as Britain, its second biggest economy, prepares to hold a referendum on whether to quit – although it is not a member of the 26-nation Schengen zone. (full article Irish Independent)
“They” are moving fast and the question should be if euroskepticism is spreading fast enough, and with sufficient democratic opportunities – i.e. elections – for the European peoples to stop them.
As for this plan being German, I would substitute NATO for that. Germany is just the NATO mouthpiece nation.
Good luck and Yamas, enjoy Greece, power-crazed malakies. Looks more like they are afraid of Greek refugees!
Frontex will not only has to fight against refugees but also against Greek forces.
First of all the “borders” are not controllable and their marines will need two years of practice in Turkish bordellos to figure that out and secondly not only the same soldiers of the anti-draft-movement that refuse to do that dirty job and want to tear down the fence in Evros will explain very soon that the constitution allows any resistance against these Berlin terrorist activities.
I’m starting to spare from now on everyday some cents for a very special Raki for when the first German imperialist get killed on Greek shores since more than 70 years.