Border(less) Europe – When do we go back to normal?

Borders and travels restrictions are being introduced in a pervasive manner to contain the spread of coronavirus. This includes in Europe – the continent that has been proudly border free, owing to the Schengen zone, for three decades and reaped immense economic benefits from it. The underlying assumption is that border controls and travel bans are a temporary provision. The borders and travel restrictions within the Schengen zone ought to be lifted again once the crisis is gone. How to make sure that temporary provisions do not become permanent? What are the lessons learnt from this crisis? How to make Schengen zone more sustainable in the future?

Opening: Alena Kudzko, Director, GLOBSEC Policy Institute

Presentation of Policy Paper “Nothing but Schengen Matters: Updating Schengen: Political and Technocratic Patches”, DIFF GOV Policy Paper, GLOBSEC, April 2020

Speakers:

Lukas Mandl, Member of European Parliament

Alena Kudzko, Director, GLOBSEC Policy Institute

Tom Snels, Deputy Head of Cabinet of Commissioner Johansson for Home Affairs

Catharina Sørensen, Deputy Director, Think Tank EUROPA

Michal Šimečka, Member of European Parliament

Moderated by: Alexandra Martin, Head of Brussels Office, GLOBSEC

The discussion forms a part of a bigger international project called DIFF GOV: European Governance: Potential of Differentiated Cooperation that is co-funded by Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.

DIFF GOV explores the potential for flexible modes of cooperation between European Union member states in four areas: economic cooperation, Schengen zone, Common Security and Defence Policy, and Foreign and Neighbourhood Policy.