All in the Same Boat - Visegrad Four Can Do More to Defend Free Movement in the EU
All in the Same Boat - Visegrad Four Can Do More to Defend Free Movement in the EU

Author(s): Benjamin Tallis
Subject(s): Politics, International relations/trade, EU-Accession / EU-DEvelopment
Published by: Ústav mezinárodních vztahů
Keywords: Visegrad four; EU; free movement policy; foreign policy;
Summary/Abstract: Central European states, notably Czech Republic and Poland, have been vocal defenders of the Schengen-zone and the free-movement it provides. The strong, public response in both countries to the UK’s recently proposed clampdown on free movement is a welcome continuation of this tradition that can help to mitigate the threat to a key EU principle. However, the Schengen zone, which is the most important manifestation of the EU’s commitment to free movement, is also under threat in other ways. Schengen countries, including the Visegrad Four (V4), need to do more to share the uneven burdens that come from participating in the Area of Freedom Justice and Security (AFSJ). Failure to create an effective common asylum policy and to adequately support the countries bearing the brunt of migratory flows risks the dismantling of a key European achievement and the end of one of the EU’s most popular policies. The V4 can, and should, do more to defend free movement, by sharing more of these burdens than they do currently.

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