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

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

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

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.

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:

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