Le projet Franco-Allemand de rétablissement des contrôles aux frontières intérieures « exhale une ôdeur nauséabonde"

Infographie : François Descheemaekere

Franco-German Border Plan 'Stinks to High Heaven'

[Spiegel Online]

In an interview with SPIEGEL, Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn attacks a Franco-German plan to allow Schengen-zone countries to temporarily re-introduce border controls. The move is a populist ploy by French President Nicolas Sarkozy to secure his re-election, says Asselborn.

SPIEGEL: The German interior minister and his French counterpart want to reintroduce national border controls in some cases. Does their proposal have a chance of getting accepted in Europe?
Asselborn: I hope not. The whole world envies us for our open-border arrangement that was launched with the agreement that got its start in the Luxembourg village of Schengen. For the citizens of Europe it is the biggest achievement in the history of the European Union.
It would be dramatic, for the economy too, if big countries like Germany or France could unilaterally close their borders and thereby devalue the Schengen agreement.
Lire : spiegel.de