Dijssebloem threatens Greece & other countries with “Schengen expulsion”

The head of the Eurogroup, Dutch Finance Minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem warned that countries which fail to adequately guard Europe’s borders and do not take in a fair share of refugees could find themselves outside the borders of a future “mini-Schengen” zone. Dijsselbloem’s threats have two different targets: Greece that has the honor to guard the EU’s and Schengen’s external border and countries like Hungary or Denmark or in general the poor Eastern European countries that refuse to take in refugees and refuse to comlpy with the EU plan on the Refugee Crisis.

In an interview in Belgian business dailies De Tijd and L’Echo on Friday, Dijsselbloem, said the EU’s passport-free Schengen zone could not work if only a few countries gave shelter to refugees.

“There are a few countries that are carrying the heaviest burden in the asylum crisis, taking in the most refugees,” he told the papers, naming Sweden, Germany, Austria, Belgium and the Netherlands.

Dijsselbloem said his aim was to preserve the Schengen zone, but if countries did not shoulder their fair share, others would have to go it alone, since the migrant influx would otherwise endanger their generous welfare states.

“To preserve them, you need to guard the external borders. (Otherwise) loads of people come and demand support and they blow the system up. That is what is happening now in the Netherlands,” he said.

“If we do not do it in the external borders of the EU’s 28 members, or in the Schengen zone, then maybe we will have to do it on the level of a mini-Schengen zone,” he said, adding he wanted to avoid that outcome. (full interview via SigmaLive)

I don’t know what legal or institutional right or any power whatsoever Dijssebloem have to threaten Schengen countries with expulsion. Much to my knowledge, he has none. But if he’d have so spare time, he could European Commission President’s warning that “If Schengen goes, the Euro goes.”

Addressing the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Wednsday, the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, said  that should passport-free travel be jeopardized, then the Euro will also be jeopardized.

Jean-Claude  Juncker warned that the erosion of the Schengen system had wider political implications for the EU, including the Euro: “a single currency makes no sense if Schengen falls.”

Te 19-member states of the Eurozone do not coincide with the 22-EU member states of the Schengen zone. Also German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, drew a parallel between the difficulties faced by the Schengen and euro systems.” (via New Europe)

The summary in short:

No Schengen, No Euro

No Euro, No Party for Jeroen

🙂

PS our new kitty said, she heard Schauble speaking in backstage…