Schengen Crisis: 11 EU Nations Reinstate Border Checks Amid 40th Anniversary
As the Schengen Zone marks 40 years of free movement, nearly a third of member states defy its core principles with border controls, sparking economic and political backlash.
published at: 15. Juni 2025
Schengen's 40th Anniversary Overshadowed by Border Control Controversy
Europe's Schengen Zone celebrated its 40th anniversary this week under a cloud of controversy, with eleven of its 29 member states currently implementing border controls - a direct challenge to the agreement's foundational principle of free movement. The celebratory boat tour of European interior ministers along the Moselle River to Schengen, Luxembourg, the treaty's namesake village, was marred by growing tensions over what critics call 'the death of Schengen spirit.'
The German-Luxembourg Border: Ground Zero for Schengen Tensions
Luxembourg's Interior Minister Leon Gloden delivered a scathing indictment of Germany's border policies during the anniversary events. 'These controls violate Schengen's spirit,' Gloden stated, citing three-hour traffic jams that have reduced cross-border workers and shoppers. Luxembourg filed a formal complaint with the EU Commission in February, with a ruling expected by October.
The economic impacts are quantifiable:
- 30% decrease in Luxembourg workers at German border businesses
- 40% drop in Luxembourg shoppers visiting Trier
- Daily 3-4 hour border delays
EU's Migration Pact: Schengen's Last Hope?
EU officials pin their hopes on the forthcoming Asylum and Migration Pact, set for full implementation by summer 2026. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen calls the current situation a 'transition phase' between flawed old rules and the new system that promises:
- Stronger external border protection
- Faster asylum processing
- More efficient deportations
Until then, eleven nations - including Germany, France, and Austria - maintain controls, primarily to reject asylum seekers under 'temporary' provisions that have become semi-permanent.
Border Communities Sound the Alarm
Pascal Arimont, a German-speaking Belgian MEP from the border triangle of Belgium, Germany, and Luxembourg, warns: 'We're not just damaging economies - we're killing the European idea itself.' His region has seen cross-border commuter numbers drop by 25% since Germany intensified checks in March.
As champagne corks popped in Schengen, the unspoken question lingered: Can Europe's most celebrated achievement survive its own member states' border policies?