After Schengen: European Borders

The document is a collection of essays and interviews exploring the concept of borders in Europe. It argues that while the Schengen Agreement created a symbolic and practical 'common home' for Europeans, the refugee crisis has triggered a return to national borders and 'cognitive barriers.' Contributors discuss the failure of the Dublin Regulation, the need for a common European asylum system, and the potential for 'borderless solidarity.' The volume also extends the analysis of borders to the maritime domain, arguing for the ocean to be treated as a 'global nation' or common good to prevent resource exploitation and conflict.

• The Schengen Agreement is viewed as a critical symbolic and practical achievement that creates a 'common space' for Europeans, though its stability is currently threatened by the refugee crisis and a return to national border controls.
• The Dublin Regulation is identified as a primary failure in the EU's response to refugees because it placed an unfair burden on peripheral countries and lacked a solid European-wide allocation mechanism.
• There is a call for a transition from national border management to a truly European border agency with personnel supervised by EU institutions and the European Parliament to ensure human rights standards.
• The document argues that the ocean is being treated as a colonised territory through the use of Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs), which are used by coastal states to secure fossil energy and mineral resources.
• The 'Ocean Nation' initiative proposes establishing the ocean as a common nation subject to international law to counter the logic of national sovereignty and prevent the pillage of maritime resources.
• The Roma people in Eastern and Central Europe face 'invisible borders' and systemic exclusion, including residential and educational segregation, which persist despite EU membership.
• Historical examples, such as the 'brotherhood trains' that saved Viennese children between 1919 and 1920, demonstrate that borderless solidarity can be achieved through civil society even when states are hostile.
• The document suggests that the EU could manage refugees more humanely by allocating building land for 'cities for migrants' (e.g., New Damascus), allowing them to maintain their culture and 'otherness' rather than forcing assimilation.
• The 'Balkans Borders Paradox' highlights how the region has shifted from the 'brotherhood and unity' of Yugoslavia to a state of isolation and fragmented borders, with EU membership seen as the primary path back to peace and mobility.

APA

Evangelista, I. (n.d.). After Schengen: European Borders. Green European Journal. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/GEJ_12.pdf

Chicago

Evangelista, Ignacio. After Schengen: European Borders. Green European Journal, n.d. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/GEJ_12.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Evangelista |first1=Ignacio |title=After Schengen: European Borders |publisher=Green European Journal |url=https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/GEJ_12.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{evangelistandafter, author = {Evangelista, Ignacio}, title = {{After Schengen: European Borders}}, institution = {Green European Journal}, url = {https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/GEJ_12.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }