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PatMedMUNCXII
European Union Parliament
Schengen, Movement, Migration, and Refugees
Throughout the past few decades, European Union and their neighbors have maintained
many agreements and policies concerning borders, migration, and the movement of peoples and
goods for decades. However, with the Syrian refugee crisis and the successive rise of populist
parties in the member states of the European Union, many of these agreements policies were
challenged and called into question.
The Schengen Area
The Schengen Area consists of twenty-six countries that have removed passport requirements
and border controls along their borders with other Schengen members. Every day, 3.5 million
people cross Schengen borders every day. Each year, there are 57 million movements of goods
across Schengen borders. In addition, citizens of 61 countries receive Visa-Free access to the
Schengen Area for 90 days in any 180 day period. Four of the Area’s members are not members
of the European Union: Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland. The UK and Ireland
opt-out of Schengen, while Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, and Cyprus have not yet joined. Created
in 1985, and further enhanced in the 1990s, the goal of Schengen was to promote ease of trade
between then EEC member states and to collectivise visa policy. However, despite Schengen’s
economic successes for the European Union, several countries temporarily suspended Schengen
during the migrant crisis, and to this day, their suspensions are still in place. Another recent issue
concerning the Schengen Area has been the status of Bulgaria and Romania. Both countries
were found by the Council of Ministers to have fulfilled the necessary criteria to join the
Schengen Area. However, The Netherlands and Finland struck down this initiative, Finland
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claiming it was “too early” to make a decision. The Netherlands expressed a lack of confidence
in the Bulgarian immigration and border authorities. Criticisms of the Schengen Area have
stemmed mainly from populists and eurosceptics, with Marine Le Pen, leader of the French
National Front, calling the Schengen Area a “security disaster” in the wake of the Berlin attacks
in December of 2016. She has called for France to leave Schengen, and referred to free
movement in Europe as “a myth”. This year, the Vesntre-led government in Denmark explored
defying Schengen and making their temporary border controls permanent. Delegates must create
and argue reforms and compromises necessary to ensure what their parties understand to be the
best future for the Schengen Area, and the European Union’s future.
Part II: Migration & Refugees
Migration has been one of the most discussed and fought-over issues in the European
Union for several years, and has been one of the largest contributors to the remaking of the
European political
environment over the past
decade. The European
Migrant Crisis began in 2010
during the Arab Spring, and
reached its peak during the
height of the Syrian Civil
War, and has continued to
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today. Large numbers of migrants have come to the European Union through the Mediterranian,
Southeast Europe, and in rare cases, through Russia. The Syrian Civil War and the rise of ISIS,
poor economic conditions, and other violent conflicts spurred millions of people to flee their
nations and attempt to go to Europe. In 2015, 1.8 million migrants illegally crossed into Europe.
The crisis sparked many fears over the economic consequences of a large influx of unskilled
workers, and fears over a conflict in European and Islamic values, most of the refugees being
Muslim. A large number of consequences have stemmed from the migrant crisis. From the varied
fears of Europeans arose populist parties, some new, and some experiencing a surge in political
support after years of being a minor political force. Across the European Union, euroscepticism
has surged, along with established political parties adopting anti-immigrant stances, such as the
Social Democratic Party of Denmark. About one quarter of all MEPs are eurosceptic after the
2019 European elections, as opposed to under 20% after the 2014 European Elections. A wide
range of issues have come to light due to the crisis, and many more are being chalked up to the
crisis.
The consequences of the refugee crisis vary
by country, and this is especially due to
countries’ policies initiated during the crisis. At
the initial beginning of the migrant crisis, many
groups welcomed the idea of more workers
joining the labor forces in Europe, hoping that
the arrival of mostly young, male migrants would
be able to help Euorope counteract its aging
population. The extremely low birth rates in
European Union member-states have led the U.N
and other organizations to argue the strain that
will be placed on the European welfare state,
with an increasing percentage of the population
over 65, and births occurring at a rate far below
replacement level. With a smaller tax base and
more dependents, the future of European welfare
states seems to be at risk. The arrival of such a large number of young migrants was expected to
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help ease the magnitude of this problem. At the end of 2016, it was found that 34,000 out of 1.2
million refugees in Germany had found work in a labor market bursting with new jobs. Although
the German government feels it can employ the majority of the refugees, their expected progress
has yet to materialize. Despite the vast majority of the migrants not speaking German, large
numbers have refused education and integration initiatives, preferring to remain in segregated
neighborhoods of cities and receiving government benefits, the exact opposite of Europe’s hope
for them.
Another concern stemming from the migrant crisis is integration. One example of this is
the migrants’ cultural values clashing with those of Europeans. When Belgium instituted a rule
requiring migrants to agree to European values, opponents argued that the migrants refusing to
accept LGBT rights or the equality of women and men would only increase intercultural tensions
in the country. Furthermore, the rise in anti semitic attacks in Europe is contributed both to far-
left and far-right
extremists, but also to
refugees, mainly in
France, Germany, and
Scandinavia. Last year,
Angela Merkel discussed
how the “people of Arab
orgin” bring “another
form of anti-semitism”
into Germany, which
compounds the
preexisting anti-semitism
and makes the situation
worse. Other, smaller but
more surprising issues characterize the lack of integration. Migrants who have found jobs as taxi
drivers in Austria refuse to allow disabled customers with service dogs into their taxis, claiming
that the service dogs are “unclean.”. The Swedish government has said that animal cruelty is an
issue in “migrant dense areas”. Integration success stories among migrants can be found, but the
current approach of European governments is not working overall.
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Furthermore, in the European Union, the migrant crisis has prompted countries to openly
disobey the Union. Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Poland have all directly refused
mandates of the European Union concerning the refugee crisis. Political parties across Europe
advocate for exiting the European Union, ignoring EU law and mandates, and handling
migration their own way. These ideas threaten the stability and success of the European Union,
as well as economic and political stability across the continent.
To conclude, delegates must address the problems discussed above, as well as the many other
problems caused by the European Migrant Crisis, and come up with viable short and long-term
solutions for the European Union.
Points to Consider:● Has your party’s county suspended Schengen in any way? Did your party support the
suspension?● What are your party’s views on the Schengen Area, and movement across the borders of
member-states as a whole?● Has your party proposed any changes for the Schengen Area?● Is your party in government in your country, and has that government made statements or
policies concerning Schengen?● Have any failures regarding Schengen occurred in your party’s country?● What does your party wish to see regarding The Schengen Area in the future?● How did your party propose to deal with the European Migration Crisis during its height,
and how do they propose to deal with the crisis now?● How has your party’s country been affected by the migrant crisis, and what effects are
still being seen in your country?● What are your party’s views on the current system of the asylum process in the European
Union?● How does your party feel concerning the relationship between the borders of the EU and
the borders of their own nation?● How does your party feel about the EU’s migration quotas?● What are your party’s views on immigration policy?● Has your party’s country installed any physical or technological security measures to deal
with the crisis?● What changes has your party, or your party’s government proposed to the current
migration system in the European Union?
Helpful Links:
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http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/ATAG/2016/579074/EPRS_ATA(2016)579074_EN.pdfhttps://www.ecfr.eu/specials/scorecard/schengen_flash_scorecardhttps://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/dec/23/european-far-right-end-to-open-borders-schengen-berlin-le-penhttps://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-13194723https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/apr/01/belgium-to-require-immigrants-to-sign-up-to-european-valueshttps://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4048268/Just-34-000-migrants-1-2million-arrive-Germany-two-years-work-government-reveals.htmlhttp://www.niussp.org/article/1049/https://inimareng.ee/en/migration-and-demographic-changes-in-estonia-and-europe/the-impact-of-the-refugee-crisis-on-europe-and-estonia/https://repository.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://search.yahoo.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1046&context=sirehttps://www.newsweek.com/migrants-europe-violence-crime-germany-study-770105