Europe - A borderless society?

Europe - A borderless society?

Jumping borders. Why does someone has to ‘jump’ a border? Isn’t a border nothing else than a simple line of demarcation, which can and has been altered with regard to its location throughout history? What meaning do we usually attach to borders in Europe nowadays? Are they still determining our daily lives or are they just remnants of the past? Do we really have to jump a border, or can we pass it without even recognising that we do so?

In order to answer these questions, we have to define what the term ‘border’ actually means. In the traditional sense, borders set the limits of geographical communities, thus providing them with a homeland which is considered to be their sovereign territory. In modern times, borders play a crucial role in day to day policies of national governments, dealing with immigration, national defence, or economic affairs. Due to the European integration process, beginning after World War II, the nations of Europe increasingly began to co-operate their cross-border activities. Particularly with regard to the economic benefits of a single market, many European nations started to lift barriers of trade in order to enable free trade amongst them. Economic integration, however, was only the first step towards an ever closer Europe. Soon, many European countries recognised the benefits of reducing barriers amongst them, setting the course for a spill-over effect from the free movement of goods to the freedom of movement of peoples and services. The Schengen Acquis, coming into force in 1995, eventually removed border controls between the participating countries. Henceforth, people could not only move freely within the Schengen-area but they were also allowed to choose where they want to live and work. Schengen clearly tackled an age-old phenomenon - the power of determination of the nation state: The situation in which the freedom of movement of people is restricted through the national borders of their home country. For the first time, Schengen enabled people to leave behind their national borders easily and try to find their luck somewhere else. Nevertheless the question arises, does Schengen allow for complete self-determination? ¬- or is it just a stepping stone towards a post-national society?

I argue that people are still facing borders within Europe every day. Borders are not just lines of demarcation between two nations in a technical sense. The term ‘border’ carries a far deeper meaning. It can be seen as an umbrella term for various faultlines which separate a society. Politicians are called to further tackle these non-geographical faultlines, separating the people of Europe. However, this has to be done carefully with regard to a certain level of diversity that requires preservation. The great challenge of Europe today, in my opinion, is to reduce those faultlines that divide us and to preserve Europe’s cultural diversity at the same time.

As a consequence, on the one side, we have to tackle socio-economic faultlines, while on the other side we have to deal with cultural faultlines in a different way. Talking about socio-economic differences within Europe, we see the polarisation of societies between rich and poor and more recently the increasing gap between the poor South and the wealthier North. Socio-economic faultlines are very dangerous for the functioning of a solidary society, since differences may trigger feelings of jealousy and hatred amongst fellow peoples. Therefore, especially in times of crisis, we have to remind ourselves of the principles upon which our Union is built, the mutual benefits it entails, and the awful past it helped to overcome.
Let me give you an example: You might travel from Germany to Greece without any physical border hindering you. However, on your journey you will recognise socio-economic faultlines everywhere. As much as socio-economic borders exist within nations, they exist between nations. I truly believe that these borders have to be removed in order to create a real borderless society of Europe.

Different cultures, for example different languages, complicate inter-European contact. However, they are integral parts of our people’s identity. It should not be our aim to create a uniform culture of Europe, but to preserve a culture of diversity which enriches the lives of all of us. What we should do, is to appreciate our cultural plurality and wealthiness. We should encourage and enable the peoples of Europe, and especially the young people to get in touch with this valuable heritage of Europe. In this way, we can remove undesired barriers and borders which separate us at the moment. This is the way, to create a European culture which allows for the preservation of Europe’s most valuable treasure – its cultural multitude. With regard to the rising populism and nationalism in many countries during the Euro-Crisis, the need for a strong European culture is urgent. We cannot allow radical movements to reconstruct borders between the people of Europe. The continuing rapprochement of the European people is the only way to take the wind out of the sails of populists, who are trying to exploit increasing national sentiments during the current financial crisis.
Considering the goal of a development of a strong European culture, the leaders of Europe are called upon to help tearing down the barriers which prevent the people of Europe from embracing a culture of mutual esteem and solidarity. If populism and nationalism will ultimately prevail, the European project of a borderless society will be threatened to fail. If, however, solidarity will proof to be stronger, the people of Europe will eventually endorse upon a European culture that allows for the ultimate goal of unity in diversity.