Deepening isolation: Poland did not rule out consequences for the EU due to border closures

The Polish Institute of International Relations (PISM) has published a newsletter that discusses the consequences of restricting mobility in the Schengen area due to the WHO coronavirus pandemic announced earlier by WHO.

According to the author of the publication, Jolanta Shimanska, if the restrictions are not lifted after the situation with the EU pandemic is resolved, the list of probable consequences can be “reinforced by the tendency to unilaterally restore border control and maintain such a regime for a longer time” than is required contain the threat of the spread of the disease.

In addition, the author does not exclude the deepening of the “crisis of confidence” between the Schengen member countries due to the introduction of unilateral restrictive measures at the borders.

The Polish expert came to such conclusions on the basis of past experience. She cites the situation caused by the migration crisis as an example. Szymanska clarifies that several years ago a number of European states, including Germany, France and Sweden imposed restrictions on some border sections and are still conducting checks, despite the fact that the time allotted for inspections has long expired.

“Since 2015, six member states (Schengen zone. - RT ) - Austria, Germany, France, Denmark, Sweden and Norway - have been conducting inspections on separate sections of their border, citing security considerations related to the terrorist threat or movement within the zone persons seeking political asylum ... Meanwhile, the deadline for conducting temporary inspections within the zone allowed to resolve the crisis in accordance with the Schengen Border Code expired in November 2017, ”the text reads. I RT.

Currently, according to the author of the publication, various forms of border control are established on most borders within the Schengen zone, which significantly undermines cross-border transport communication (in some cases, the waiting time at the border was several hours) and causes tensions between the countries.

The closure of the German-Polish border turned out to be a particularly acute problem, said Szymanska. Because of this, she said, many citizens of the Baltic countries had difficulties returning home.

It is worth noting that the publication of the Polish Institute says not only about restricting movement within the Schengen area, but also within the EU.

• French President Emmanuel Macron
• Reuters
• © Ludovic Marin

Earlier, the heads of state and government of the EU countries decided to close the external borders of the EU for a period of 30 days. On March 16, French President Emmanuel Macron announced this.

“The borders of the EU and the Schengen area will be closed for 30 days. Trips between non-European countries and the European Union are suspended for this period, ”the French leader said.

At the same time, Macron compared the current situation with the "state of war", noting that the common enemy is "invisible", but "he is advancing."

The head of the Europe Insight research company, Andrei Kulikov, in a conversation with RT called the decision to limit movement in the EU a “natural reaction” of European leaders to what is happening in the world.

At the same time, talking about the possible prospects of maintaining control at the borders, Kulikov admitted that some restrictions may remain, but not in the form in which they exist now.

“Now the extreme situation and the states, not only in the European Union, but also far beyond its borders, are taking rather radical measures,” the expert said.

“The consequences will be significant.”

Szymanska is also convinced that Europe may also face the economic consequences of the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic. In her opinion, if the restrictions on the borders of the Schengen zone continue to apply even after the situation with the spread of the disease is resolved, the possibilities for restoring the EU economy will be reduced.

The fact that the pandemic has already caused the “greatest shock” for Europeans was previously announced by the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.

“The coronavirus was the biggest shock to the EU economy, but it should not cause permanent damage to it,” she said.

Moreover, von der Leyen added that in order to reduce the spread of coronavirus it is necessary to take measures to slow down the pace of development of the economic life of the European Union.

Further, the author of the report gives another example of what Europe may face due to the situation with the restoration of border control. According to her, the newly created conditions will negatively affect the public’s attitude towards European integration - most Europeans recognize the Schengen zone as one of the most significant achievements of this process.

In general, the consequences of a pandemic in the EU will have a “huge impact” on almost all spheres of life, Andrei Kulikov believes. They will be significant, first of all, for the European economy, even if the crisis ends in the first half of the year, he added in a conversation with RT.

The expert also drew attention to the possibility of domestic political problems in some European countries.

“I do not exclude that the governments of Italy and Spain, those countries that are now most affected by the coronavirus pandemic, may have some problems later on. Probably, the opposition will take advantage of this fact to somehow play on the sympathies of voters, ”Kulikov said.

European solidarity

Speaking about the situation around partial or full restoration of border control, Szymanska cites as an example the unilateral actions of several European states, including Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic, Poland, Germany, Spain, Belgium and Portugal.

Taking into account such a negative trend, the author of the report notes, the European Commission has developed a number of recommendations aimed at resolving the situation with border crossings within the EU.

“On March 30, the European Commission extended the guidelines for ensuring freedom of border crossing for people working in key areas to deal with the crisis caused by COVID-19, including medical personnel and seasonal agricultural workers,” the text says.

Recall that EC head von der Leyen clarified that restrictions on the issue of border crossing will also not apply to drivers transporting medicines and food, diplomats, health workers, family members of EU citizens and residents, and scientists working to resolve the situation with the spread of coronavirus.

In March, the European Central Bank announced a redemption program for private and public sector securities worth € 750 billion. The initiative, as noted in the instance, will last until the end of the year.

The aim of the program is to support the EU economy, faced with the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition, at the end of March, the European Parliament approved a package of measures proposed by the European Commission to support the economy and combat the coronavirus pandemic. The initiative envisages providing assistance to victims of the virus in the amount of € 37 billion.

• AFP
• © Piero Cruciatti

However, despite a number of positive initiatives aimed at resolving the crisis, some European politicians express dissatisfaction with the course pursued by the EU leadership.

As RT previously reported, German MEP Bernd Lange expressed the view that the measures proposed by Brussels should have been taken much earlier.

European functionaries at different times raised the question of the insufficient manifestation of European solidarity in the situation around countering the spread of coronavirus. In particular, the representative of Italy to the EU, Maurizio Massari, recalled that Rome requested the use of the European Union civil protection mechanism to ensure the supply of personal protective equipment.

“However, unfortunately, not a single EU country responded to the call of the European Commission,” the politician said.

Deputy Director of the Institute for Strategic Studies and Forecasts of RUDN University Nikita Danyuk shares the position associated with the lack of unity of the EU member states in the current crisis situation. In an interview with RT, the expert noted that European solidarity, "which for decades has been the main symbol attracting states," did not work.

“It is obvious that the European Union, which from its very beginning stood out as a single pan-European space, where people, goods and services are absolutely free to move around, is not able to cope in an unstable era ... And the very sovereignty that states handed over to officials from Brussels as a payment in order to enter the EU, as we see, is currently one of the ways to deal with emergency situations in order to protect their society, their state and their economy ", - said Danyuk.

As Vladimir Olenchenko, a senior fellow at the Center for European Studies of IMEMO RAS, noted in an interview with RT, the situation showed that Schengen is not an absolute tool for communication between EU member states.

“The question of what could be with Schengen needs to be considered more broadly in the sense that in the post-crisis the EU itself will be different ... Each of the countries in the zone makes its own assumptions, wishes, and corrections. In my opinion, most likely, the Schengen transformation will go towards its differentiation. The zone itself as an idea will be preserved, but it will be applied differentially, both in neighboring countries and in general with other countries, ”Olenchenko notes.

At the same time, he noted that the EU has a lot of plans for economic policy, but the issue of financing “hangs in the air”, as the main EU donors are Germany, France and Italy.

“They are all in a difficult position because of the coronavirus. All measures taken against coronavirus nationwide do not require significant costs. A really serious question is how the pan-European spending will be regulated, ”the expert added.