Thesis 100dpi

FORTIFIED EUROPE
As the EU struggles to handle its
refugee crisis, passport-free travel
across the region is under threat.
First to do so was Hungary, stating that ‘‘the influx of
Muslim refugees poses a threat to Europe’s Christian
identity’’. The fences were erected on the borders with
Serbia and Croatia, while announcing a new fence with
Romania. The Hungarian anti - refugee politics escalated
in a referendum related to the European Union’s
migrant resettlement plans. While an overwhelming majority
of voters (98%) rejected the EU’s migrant quotas,
turnout was too low to make the poll valid.
Austria erected a four-kilometer-long fence at the Slovenian
border, deployed armed forces around the border
and limited asylum applications to 80 a day and the
number of people allowed to transit through the country
to 3 200. The Austrian government also announced
to build a 400-metre-long fence at its Brenner border
with Italy, which would be erected even if Italy does not
cooperate. The plans, however, have been criticized as
violating the Schengen Agreement of free movement
across borders for EU nationals.
Bulgaria followed the same path, although not towards
their EU -neighbors: 135 km razor fence has been
erected on its border with Turkey hoping to prevent the
‘‘illegal migration’’.
78 REFUGIUM
Intensifying in 2014 and reaching its peak in autumn
2015, the refugee crisis has tested Europe’s unity. Borders
started germinating between the Union’s members
along the refugee routes.
‘‘Most of us fortunately do not know the state of complete
exhaustion, combined with fear for ones life or for
the life of ones family. People that are coming here from
Eritrea, Syria or Northern Iraq have to endure situations
and fear that would let us collapse straight up.
[...] Europe as a whole has to move. The states have to
share the responsibilities for refugees coming here. The
universal civil rights have been closely connected to Europe
and its history. This was one of the main founding
principles for the EU. Should Europe fail to address this
crisis, this connection will break loose. [...]’’
Angela Merkel (often called ‘‘Mutti’’ meaning Mum in
German) thanks to her enthusiasm and inviting refugees,
won a lot of fans among the newly arrived. However
many member states did not welcome this decision
with excitement; shortly after, some countries started
erecting the fences or closing the border crossings for
refugees.
Croatia has suddenly erected a fence on a bridge on
the border with Serbia, reportedly to block the entry of
illegal migrants and the activities of people-smugglers.
Norway has put up a steel fence at a remote Arctic
border post with Russia after seeing an influx of migrants
crossing into the country. The erection of the
fence, at a spot where 5 500 migrants mainly from Syria
crossed into Norway last year, reflects a wider shift in
public attitudes against refugees. Refugee groups and
some opposition politicians say Norway’s fence will
deter people fleeing persecution and is an unwelcome
echo of the Cold War in a region where relations have
generally flourished since the collapse of the Soviet
Union. The country is also considering erecting a fence
with Sweden.
As a result of large number of asylum seekers have
made their way to northern Finland via Sweden, Finland
decided to close their borders with Sweden.
French authorities have closed its border with Italy due
to the migrant crisis, leaving thousands of refugees,
mainly from Sudan, massing in camps near Italian town
of Ventimiglia. This resulted in hundreds of migrants
taking to rugged trails across the vast mountain range of
Alps in a bid to get into France.
Following the closing-borders trend Macedonia fully
sealed its border with Greece, shutting down the Balkan
trail used by more than a million people, and triggering
fears migrants would take far more dangerous routes to
Western Europe.
It is said that the ongoing refugee crisis played a crucial