Luxembourg City - Luxembourg Interior Minister Leon Gloden said that European Union countries should not use the Schengen area as a political pressure tool in the face of the migration crisis.
"I emphasize that I cannot accept that every time there is an incident related to migration, Schengen is always used as a hostage," Gloden told Euractiv in an interview published on Thursday, August 6, while commenting on the debate that arose after the incident in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta.
Gloden said prolonged checks at internal borders could undermine public confidence in European integration.
"If you are stuck in traffic for three or four hours due to border checks, you will lose confidence in Europe and Schengen," he said.
After the migrant crisis in Ceuta, a number of EU countries proposed putting pressure on Spain. Italy imposed checks on immigrants from Spain, while Germany extended controls on the country's internal borders, including with Luxembourg.
Gloden said he did not see increased screening at internal borders as an effective way to deal with increased support for right-wing parties.
"Just making policies with the goal of suppressing right-wing extremism is not the right approach. If the policy actually interferes with the daily lives of citizens, they will not support your party," he said.
The minister also expressed his support for efforts to strengthen protection at the EU's external borders.
The debate on Schengen was triggered by the migrant crisis in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta. At the end of July, Ceuta, located in North Africa and bordering Morocco, faced a huge wave of migrants.
According to the Spanish Ministry of the Interior, around 72,000 people entered the city, while around 70,000 of them later returned to Morocco. Several dozen people are reported to have died.
After the incident, 22 EU member states, at the initiative of Denmark and Italy, sent a letter stating their readiness to re-impose checks on internal borders in response to Spain's measures in dealing with the situation.
Luxembourg is among five countries that have refused to sign the document.
Migrants in Ceuta remain in the Spanish enclave and are not given free access to the Spanish mainland or to other countries in the Schengen area.
Therefore, a number of countries and experts question the need to re-impose checks at internal borders.
Source: Sputnik/RIA Novosti
Reporter : Primayanti
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