Europe’s New Travel Restrictions – Schengen at Risk

I have been warning for many years that the Schengen Agreement would fail. As I explained half a decade ago: “As the economy turns down very hard after 2015.75, we are more likely than not going to see the freedom of movement in Europe fragment and that will be the crack that signals the eventual risk of breaking up the EU idea of empire-building.” We saw things come to a head at the dawn of the refugee crisis when Merkel embarked on an open border policy. Nations began temporarily closing their borders to one another to curb migration. Brussels encouraged open borders but individual nations aimed to protect their sovereignty. Now, massive travel restrictions and requirements are underway.

The Schengen Agreement led to the creation of Europe’s borderless Schengen Area. The treaty was signed on June 14, 1985 by five of the ten member states of the European Economic Community near the town of Schengen in Luxembourg, but was not implemented (partially) until 1995. It proposed the gradual abolition of border checks at the signatories’ common borders. Measures proposed included: reduced speed vehicle checks that allowed vehicles to cross borders without stopping, allowed residents in border areas the freedom to cross borders away from fixed checkpoints, and the harmonization of visa policies.

Germany and others are implementing the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS) in May. Those wishing to travel to nations with ETIAS requirements must receive electronic pre-approval. Anyone traveling from a visa-free nation will be required to apply. This includes a background check, submitting biometric data, and answering questions in relation to health and criminal history. ETIAS will remain valid for three years or until an individual’s passport expires. It can take up to 96 hours to process according to estimates.

Italy will begin requesting Type D visa holders to undergo fingerprinting at consulates. France, Poland, and Portugal are implementing similar measures. Spain introduced CEHAT (Confederación Española de Hoteles y Alojamientos Turísticos) last month that reshaped the hospitality sector by requiring hotels, campgrounds, resorts, apartments, and short-term rentals to submit extensive traveler info. Travelers must provide a thorough 31-data point survey and hand over their personal information. Additionally, travelers must demonstrate financial independence by proving they have €100 per day of their stay.

One may believe that these restrictions are simply targeted at non-Europeans. However, countless nations have already begun to implement border security and become wary of their neighbor as they do not want their migrants passing through their borders. Brussels remains in a state of denial and tries to force the EU upon everyone while denying any democratic process in order to save the jobs of the Eurocrats. We saw nations like Hungary and Poland fight Brussels on its open border protocols.

Europe has witnessed their population alter entirely in recent years under open border policies that are completely destroying each nation’s traditions and culture, not to mention budgets as there is no way any nation can provide full government assistance to endless newcomers. The Schengen Agreement will fail, for it is an invitation that will bankrupt the governments, for they cannot afford to expand their welfare systems.