Today, ten Schengen countries have ‘temporary’ Schengen border controls in place, citing migratory pressures, hybrid threats, the war in Ukraine, the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, terrorism, and pressure on public services as key reasons.
Shifting migration patterns make permanent solutions elusive. Frontex data shows a 38% drop in irregular border crossings in 2024 compared to 2023, with sharp declines on the Central Mediterranean and Western Balkan routes, but notable surges on others.
“There’s quite a few countries extending that six-month exception period,” says Bram Frouws, Director of the Mixed Migration Centre. “It signals that we don’t value Schengen as much as we used to, which is a risk for something we can be proud of as Europe.”
Frouws warns that Europe has made itself “very vulnerable” to external actors exploiting migration flows, prompting reactive measures, a “symptom of Europe’s failure.”