Schengen at 40: Can Europe keep its borders open amid new pressures?

As the European Union celebrates the 40th anniversary of the Schengen Agreement, one of its most iconic symbols of unity, the very foundation of the border-free area faces its most profound test in decades. From renewed internal checks to external pressures like irregular migration and hybrid threats, the Schengen area is being reshaped by crisis, resilience, and a renewed political commitment to preserve its core: the free movement of people.

A birthday overshadowed by controls

On paper, Schengen has never looked stronger. The zone now includes 29 countries, with Bulgaria and Romania joining this year after more than a decade in the waiting room. The area facilitates €4.1 trillion in intra-EU trade and sees 2 million people cross internal borders daily. Yet, across Europe, several countries have reinstated internal border checks in response to migration flows, terrorist threats, and in some cases, domestic political pressures. That undermines the fundamental promise of Schengen: seamless mobility.

As Schengen turns 40 on 14 June 2025, the occasion is to be marked not by celebration, but by the most extensive wave of internal border controls seen in recent years. What should have been a milestone of open movement became a snapshot of fragmentation. At least 13 Schengen states reimposed border checks citing overlapping security, migration, and geopolitical concerns, casting a long shadow over the anniversary of one of the EU’s most tangible achievements.

Germany, France, Austria, Italy, Sweden, Denmark, Slovenia, and others all had active internal border controls in place, often citing threats linked to terrorism, smuggling, or pressures on asylum systems. Germany, for example, maintained controls along all its land borders due to ongoing irregular migration and the ripple effects of war in Ukraine and the Middle East. France’s justification combined rising antisemitic attacks, smuggling networks, and violent incidents involving migrants along the Channel. Italy and Slovenia cited the risk of terrorist infiltrations along the Western Balkan route, while Denmark and Sweden pointed to sabotage threats, radicalisation, and organised crime with suspected links to foreign state actors.

Even Bulgaria, freshly admitted into the Schengen air and sea space as of 1 January 2025, had land border controls in place with Romania until the end of June, due to “security risks” seen by counterparts, tied to instability in the Middle East and North Africa.

The contrast was stark: a zone designed for freedom of movement was now riddled with exceptions. Short-term events like Spain’s hosting of the UN Conference on Financing for Development in Seville in late June added temporary controls, while long-term pressures – from Russia’s aggression in Ukraine to fears of radicalisation – turned many “temporary” measures into what some analysts now label as “semi-permanent.”

For European citizens and cross-border workers, this meant queues, uncertainty, and frustration. For the Schengen ideal, it meant a sobering reckoning: four decades after its launch, the project remains fundamentally vulnerable to political weather.

The growing use of internal border checks has raised not only logistical headaches but also legal and democratic concerns. The Court of Justice of the EU has ruled that such checks must be strictly limited in scope and time, yet some states, like Denmark and France, have renewed them continuously for years.

The Council’s renewed vow

To mark the agreement’s 40th anniversary, the Council of the EU issued a Schengen Declaration, reaffirming its commitment to uphold the area as a pillar of European integration and security. “We pledge to continue investing in the common area without internal borders”, said Polish Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak, speaking on behalf of the rotating presidency. The declaration includes seven core commitments, ranging from strengthening external borders and enhancing IT systems to investing in trust and legal clarity across the bloc.

The declaration also takes aim at what many experts see as the root cause of internal checks: dysfunction at the external borders and the lack of solidarity in managing migration flows. In this light, Member States have agreed to reinforce their return and readmission policies and boost partnerships with third countries, echoing similar lines from the New Pact on Migration and Asylum.

Bulgaria and Romania: finally at the table

After years of delays, Bulgaria and Romania finally became full members of the Schengen area on 1 January 2025, completing a two-step accession process that began with the lifting of checks at air and sea borders on 31 March 2024. 

Until recently, their Schengen path had been repeatedly blocked, most notably by Austria, for concerns over irregular migration. That impasse has now been overcome. The year-long partial implementation helped demonstrate both countries’ operational preparedness and technical competence, building trust among sceptical partners.

For both Sofia and Bucharest, full Schengen accession represents more than open borders. It is a restoration of equality within the Union and a long-sought affirmation that they are no longer second-tier members. 

Can technology and trust save Schengen?

At the heart of the Schengen reform plan is a large-scale push for new digital tools: integrated border management systems, AI-driven surveillance, and enhanced databases like the Entry/Exit System (EES) and the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS). However, there are delays and privacy concerns around these tools, particularly from civil society actors.

Trust remains the most fragile component. The declaration emphasizes restoring mutual confidence among Member States, a necessary prerequisite for lifting border checks. Yet this is easier said than done in a political climate still reeling from the aftershocks of COVID-19, the war in Ukraine, and polarized domestic debates on immigration.

What comes next?

The Schengen Council, created in 2022 to coordinate reforms, will now oversee the implementation of the seven commitments. In parallel, the European Commission is preparing a Schengen Scoreboard to track compliance and highlight bottlenecks in real time.

For now, the fate of Schengen lies in a delicate balancing act: between openness and control, between trust and vigilance. If Member States can match words with actions, the Schengen area may not only survive but emerge stronger.

As Siemoniak put it: “Schengen is more than a legal framework. It is the heartbeat of Europe.”

Caption: Police Lieutenant General Janos Balogh (L) and Chief Inspector Cornel-Laurian Stoica, head of the General Inspectorate of Romanian Border Police, (R) symbolically open the state border between Hungary and Romania on the occasion of Romania’s accession to the Schengen zone at the Csanadpalota border crossing in Csanadpalota, Hungary, 31 December 2024. EPA/ZSOLT CZEGLEDI HUNGARY OUT

• Schengen
• Schengen Agreement

Updated: June 13, 2025 - 13:14