The decision by some European Union (EU) countries to temporarily reintroduce border checks has sent shockwaves through the bloc. For citizens and businesses who rely on the freedom of open borders, it is disrupting daily life.
The final months of 2024 were marked by several of Belgium's neighbouring countries reinstating border checks. This goes against the principle of the Schengen area – a trademark EU agreement enabling citizens and goods to travel freely between countries. This core value is also crucial for some 150 million people living in border regions (around 30% of Europeans).
"When more countries started announcing this measure, we felt sad and very frustrated," Martín Guillermo Ramírez, Secretary General of the Association of European Border Regions (AEBR), told The Brussels Times.
Residents of border regions are experiencing disruptions due to these controls, such as delays (usually five to ten minutes, but sometimes up to half an hour on a return journey). Meanwhile, businesses which normally benefit from the ease of cross-border dynamics are at an economic disadvantage.
Daily disruptions
Austria, Bulgaria, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden and Slovenia currently have checks in place.
The impact depends on how strong the ties to neighbouring areas are. In the border areas of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Germany, the impact is significant. "This has been a key area of cross-border cooperation since the 1950s: for three generations, borders did not exist in the minds of locals," Guillermo Ramírez explained.
Young people living in the northwest of Germany go to university in Enschede in the Netherlands instead of Münster because it is closer. Thousands living in the south of Belgium work in the north of France. On Saturdays, many Germans go to the Netherlands to buy their fish. "Crossing the border every day is normal for these people. And now, their lives are disrupted."
The Dutch, German and Belgian flags at the Drielandenpunt or 'three-country point'. Credit: Belga / Nicolas Maeterlinck
This was mirrored by Michael Dejozé, director of Euregio Maas-Rhein (encompassing the Dutch and Belgian provinces of Limburg, Regio Aachen Zweckverband, as well as Ostbelgien and the province of Liège in Belgium). "We are struggling with the decision of border controls," she told The Brussels Times.
The controls have also reduced social cohesion. "Many of our initiatives to improve cohesion have been stopped in their tracks," said Guillermo Ramírez. The multilevel governance process is also affected, pausing decision-making across regions.
"This change goes further than the physical act of border controls. It also affects how citizens at the border perceive the border. And this has an impact on the perception of Europe too."
Failing policy
EU rules state that border checks should only be introduced as a last resort "in the event of a serious threat to public policy or internal security." Most of the countries reintroducing controls cite such concerns, alongside irregular immigration, the strain on the asylum reception system and "serious threats" to internal safety.
Denmark has subjected its border with Germany to checks since 2014 for this reason. "This is part of a more general emerging pattern which we have noticed in the past ten years, and which we are concerned about," said Guillermo Ramírez. As part of a resolution signed by the AEBR in October last year, the association said the measures appear to be political reactions rather than effective solutions.
"We see that this measure is not being introduced as a last resort solution but that countries facing problems internally rely on it as an expeditious answer, and only deal with the consequences afterwards."
He pointed to the example of Germany. "The [former] government felt pressure [from far-right quarters] and took this 'easy' initiative to win votes and quell concerns. But it has experienced several (terror) attacks since reintroducing border checks; the measure did not prevent this from happening."
Several border region organisations have called on the EU to explore other solutions to ensure safety without the need to stop the flow of people and goods. These include checks taking place in other, more strategic locations and electronic checks that don't involve vehicles being stopped. They also support reforming the Schengen Code to ensure the reintroduction of border controls cannot be decided by Member States alone.
"Most importantly, we must tackle policies at the root," Guillermo Ramírez said. "The EU must propose a proper EU migration policy and a solid development cooperation policy in the countries of origin. We must receive migrants and train them so they can work here because Europe needs this in the face of an ageing society."
This would also combat the "perverse narrative about migration" and the subsequent manipulation of citizens, with politicians convincing them border controls are needed for national security, with the hidden ambition of winning votes.
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The recent setbacks to the freedom of cross-border travel spurred many to raise the question of whether this signified the end of Schengen. However, Guillermo Ramírez remains positive.
"We are now closing on a crisis momentum which will force the EU to react. But most of the similar crises have previously led to a stronger Europe," he said. "I am worried but have high hopes that this will result in a Europe that focuses on external protection and internal integration and cooperation. We cannot go back to the old ways."
Euregio Maas-Rhein's Koenen said it is following developments "very closely in the hope checks will be temporary and not become common practice beyond our region(s)." It is also in close contact with the respective national governments awaiting any sign of change. "We live in uncertain times, and nothing has been as fragile as the free cross-border lifestyle that we enjoy so much," she said.
A European Commission spokesperson told The Brussels Times that it is facilitating close dialogue with Member States involved as well as affected neighbouring countries to "minimise the impact on millions of Europeans who cross internal borders daily for work or personal reasons." Where checks are carried out, countries must put measures in place to limit their impact, they added.
