As of next year, nine new member states will join Schengen, an agreement aimed at abolishing internal borders within the Union. While this enlargement raises some security concerns amongst the current Schengen group, the states east of the new line are the ones who worry most; this is seen by some as a new Iron Curtain.
As reported by the Economist, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia worked since 2004 on fulfilling the requirements put into place as prerequisites for their admittance into Schengen. This included many security related changes, as well as data sharing through the Schengen Information System (SIS) put in place to track persons or objects.
As part of these changes, checks and controls will have to be intensified between new Schengen members and their eastern neighbours. Ending the unofficial border porousness between countries like Ukraine and Poland for example could have important consequences.
One of the biggest problems will probably be the new visa requirement. This will mean additional travel costs that could amount to as much as €60. “For people from Ukraine, who can now travel to Poland free, the visa fee will be a major obstacle,” says Orysia Lutsevych, director of Open Ukraine, a foundation to promote east-west exchanges.
As for the security concerns of the current Schengen members, they are mainly concentrated within Austria who fears that the new members won't be able to control their own frontiers. Austria's Interior minister, Günther Platter, even talked of setting up military checkpoints within Austria to insure security.
But, the enlargement of the Schengen area can also be seen as good news for Western Europe. As written on www.lostweekend.com travellers will now have to go through "less bureaucracy, less waiting time and [gain access to] more excellent countries."
Gaëlle EngelbertsAs reported by the Economist, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia worked since 2004 on fulfilling the requirements put into place as prerequisites for their admittance into Schengen. This included many security related changes, as well as data sharing through the Schengen Information System (SIS) put in place to track persons or objects.
As part of these changes, checks and controls will have to be intensified between new Schengen members and their eastern neighbours. Ending the unofficial border porousness between countries like Ukraine and Poland for example could have important consequences.
One of the biggest problems will probably be the new visa requirement. This will mean additional travel costs that could amount to as much as €60. “For people from Ukraine, who can now travel to Poland free, the visa fee will be a major obstacle,” says Orysia Lutsevych, director of Open Ukraine, a foundation to promote east-west exchanges.
As for the security concerns of the current Schengen members, they are mainly concentrated within Austria who fears that the new members won't be able to control their own frontiers. Austria's Interior minister, Günther Platter, even talked of setting up military checkpoints within Austria to insure security.
But, the enlargement of the Schengen area can also be seen as good news for Western Europe. As written on www.lostweekend.com travellers will now have to go through "less bureaucracy, less waiting time and [gain access to] more excellent countries."
6 comments:
I actually think that some of the new members of the Schengen area has a more strickt border control than some of the old members - so I do not care too much about it.
But of course if we find out that there are a lack of security in the future, we will have to find a solution to the problem.
About limiting Russians to go to Poland, I could not care less. It is a problem that has to be solved by the Russian Authorities. The day they have a better security situation and not letting bandits overfloading the rest of Europe it will be more easy for them to access EU and the Schengen area.
/Mikkel
The example was about Ukraine, not Russia. That's kind of a difference!
Jurga
Ahhh - sorry. My comment was sent to quick - but it actually do not change my view on the situation.
In fact we have had lots of problems with people from the Baltic states in Denmark for many years - but that is not that bad anymore.
Now we see that lots of criminals comes from non EU member states - so I think the borders should be guarded very carefully.
/Mikkel
But we have a kind of problem with Kaliningrad, because it is Russia. By having strickt control on our borders we limit the inhabitants of Kaliningrad to travel to Russia - and I think that is bad. So I am looking forward to hear, what will happen here.
/Mikkel
Mikkel, sorry, but you're being quite inconsitent. You say you couldn't care less about the Russians and then you're against limiting transit to Kaliningrad, because it's unfair to the Russians. So do you care or not?
Jurga
I've just read an article in a Lithuanian newspaper that now a Lithuanian visa costs 35 euros to a Russian and 5 to a Belorussian. Once in the Schengen area, everybody will be charged 60 euros. That is a great sum of money to a Belorussian citizen! A lot of them come to Lithuania as tourists or just to shop for a weekend (and they are not bandits!), but now that will be a problem. So it is not a Russian problem only, but also the problem of all neighbouring areas. We are losing income.
Jurga
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