31 Oct. No undermining of the Schengen Treaty!

MEP Manuela Ripa (ÖDP) expresses concern about the expansion of border controls in the EU

Ripa: "The spirit of the Schengen Agreement is being increasingly undermined"

After Germany has been carrying out controls at the borders with all nine neighboring countries since mid-September, France has now also announced that it will reintroduce border controls from November 1 - initially for a limited period of six months.

Manuela Ripa, MEP of the Ecological Democratic Party (ÖDP), is concerned about this expansion of controls at the EU's internal borders. Germany has set a bad example here, which is unfortunately now spreading to other countries. "The spirit of the Schengen Agreement is being increasingly undermined by the expansion of controls. The free movement of people and goods is unfortunately being massively hindered and the economy damaged. At the same time, France, just like Germany, lacks the necessary personnel to control all border crossings across the board. Germany alone has an external border that is 3876 kilometers long."

Manuela Ripa sees border controls primarily as a reaction to the rise of right-wing extremists. The implementation of the Geneva Refugee Convention and, if necessary, the granting of asylum is our duty and an indispensable act of humanity. The MEP is calling for refugees to be treated according to human rights standards in all European countries and for their distribution to be regulated fairly. "Individual states, regions or municipalities must not be completely overburdened. That is why we need accelerated asylum procedures with humane and proper management of the EU's external borders. Controls at the external borders must not lead to violence against refugees. People must be treated with dignity and be able to apply for asylum in an orderly process. Ideally, they should be able to apply for asylum in the respective embassies of the member states in their home country. At the same time, recognized refugees need to be better integrated at home. Germany must therefore also do much more to integrate migrants into the labor market and guarantee their children's success at school. The demographic situation alone dictates this," says the ÖDP politician, pointing out that other countries are more successful at integration.

Border controls within the EU are definitely not a solution. "Border regions such as Saarland suffer most from the obstacles. Border regions are the prime example of Europe in action, where people live in one country and work, shop or take their children to school in the other. They all suffer particularly from the new controls," says Manuela Ripa.

A proper procedure at the EU's external borders in combination with a better integration policy is now required instead. "Then there will be no need for internal border controls and the EU can remain what it is - a border-free area!" concluded the MEP.