A farewell to open borders? The Danish Approach
A farewell to open borders? The Danish Approach

Author(s): Peter Hobbing
Subject(s): Politics / Political Sciences, Politics, Social Sciences, Sociology, International relations/trade, Security and defense, Migration Studies, EU-Accession / EU-DEvelopment
Published by: CEPS Centre for European Policy Studies
Keywords: Open borders; borderless Europe; Danish initiative; EU;
Summary/Abstract: Migratory pressure from abroad and populist trends in Europe have already put considerable stress on borderless Europe, despite the open borders being one of its most precious achievements. But what in the past could be seen as annoying yet temporary disturbances attained an entirely different character under the Danish initiative launched in early May 2011. The move to install permanent controls, including customs houses and video surveillance, alarmed not just Brussels but also travelers and business associations EU wide. Even though the new government has since banished the nightmare by repealing the border measures, one should still not sound the ‘all clear’ signal. With populist parties all over Europe, similar scenarios are likely to arise elsewhere.

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