Schengen: Border(less)?

In the year 1985, in the small town of Schengen, Luxembourg, the concept of a borderless Europe was born. 40 years later, the Schengen Area encompasses 29 European countries, guaranteeing freedom of movement to nearly 450 million people. If you were to explain this idea to a person living in the era of the Iron Curtain, they would probably see it as unrealistic humor. But does Schengen truly live up to this utopic practice? Rising concerns about national security are now testing Schengen’s limits. What is the current reality of a borderless Europe and is it truly borderless?

1. The two sides of Schengen

In its current situation, Schengen can be described as a two-sided coin. On one side, January 2025 saw the introduction of Bulgaria and Romania into the visa-free zone. On the other hand, countries around Europe reintroduced border control in response to rising anti-immigration sentiments. 

After years of striving for membership, on January 1, Romania and Bulgaria celebrated full accession into Schengen. Both countries have external borders with non-Schengen states, which is why, despite meeting the Schengen acquis criteria as early as 2011, their full membership has been repeatedly delayed due to concerns over corruption, rule of law and border security. Beginning in 2022, the Netherlands and Austria blocked the accession process, citing fears of increased irregular migration and weaknesses in the judicial systems of both countries. In 2024 the debate coincided with elections in Austria and the Netherlands, where in both cases migration was a crucial topic. Both of the countries lifted their objections following their elections. 

At the same time, there has been a wave of Schengen members who have recently temporarily reintroduced border control. The Schengen Agreement officially allows for such exceptions due to national and public security concerns. Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Slovenia, Norway, Sweden and Finland began temporary control on their borders throughout the last months of 2024, with some of them persisting up until today.

Most people might not relate to this being an issue yet, since air travel has not been affected. I personally have had to experience this situation when driving from my home country, Bulgaria, to Menton, France. I would expect that after entering Croatia through Serbia, I would not face any further border delays. Arriving at the Slovenian border, I was baffled to see a long queue of trucks waiting on the side of the road. Even though Schengen has abolished borders between its members, the structures of the past checkpoints remain so they can be reinstated quickly if needed. At the Croatia-Slovenia border, there were border guards and police stopping each vehicle and checking their documents. The same happens when entering Italy. On the highway border crossing, there is an improvised checkpoint with police tents where you have to stop and wait for your documentation to be checked. I was also asked to provide information about my destination and purpose of travel, even having to explain my field of study. There have been pledges that the checks will be conducted less frequently, and in most cases, not every vehicle is stopped. Most often it is foreign registration plates arousing suspicion that are pulled over. 

2. The Menton border experience

Living in Menton gives us Sciences Pistes the unique experience of having a first-hand look at the beauty of the Schengen area. It allows us to make use of the often cheaper Italian prices of goods, such as groceries and tobacco. When going to the nearest city, Ventimiglia, most people take the train where enforcement has been increased and travelers are often checked on the train or when exiting the train stations. Overall, most do not experience any trouble when commuting by train, but when it comes to crossing the border by car, the situation is different. Right after going into Italy, there is a supermarket and tobacco store, which I frequent quite often. When passing the border on the Italian side there is no issue, but when it comes to the French side there is always police. Each vehicle has to stop at the checkpoint, where most are just told to continue, but some are stopped to have their documents checked and sometimes their cars searched. 

While individual cross-border shopping for cheaper goods like cigarettes remains common and legal within set limits, the presence of organized smuggling networks has prompted authorities to maintain vigilant border controls. For example, this cross-border activity isn't limited to individual consumers. The region has also been a hotspot for organized cigarette smuggling. In January 2025, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office dismantled an international smuggling network operating in Italy and France. The group concealed up to 800 kg of cigarettes in food shipments from North Africa into Italy, using falsified documents to mislead customs officials. Some of these smuggled cigarettes were transported to the French Riviera.

3. #GO2025

The attitude of the European Union towards the topic is dual-sided. This can be illustrated with this year’s European Capital of Culture and the #GO2025 campaign that goes with it. This year's capital of culture has very symbolic connotations, the chosen city/ies of Gorizia, Italy and Nova Gorica, Slovenia tell the inspirational story of two communities once divided. Following significant border augmentations after the two world wars, the people of the town ended up on two sides of the Iron Curtain. With Slovenia’s accession into Schengen in 2007, the border was completely demolished and division became a remnant of a past full of struggle. I was fortunate enough to attend the opening ceremony of the 2025 Capital of Culture. The personal testimonies I heard showcased the importance of reconciliation. A foreign student, studying at the university in Nova Gorica remarked: “Today was the best day of my life. Seeing people from both sides of the border partying together. Back in my home country we argue which side of the border has a deeper dump.” At the same time, crossing the border within the town, the border checkpoints now stand again. While not technically fenced off, police checkpoints operate, with cars not registered in one of the two towns, often being checked. It is exhilarating to see people from different linguistic, cultural and ethnic backgrounds coexisting in a cross-border community, but it also seems that current challenges are being put under the rug.

So, will Schengen endure in its current form, or will more exceptions gradually erode its foundations? The answer lies not just in policy decisions in Brussels but in the daily reality on the ground in places such as our little lemon town. In cities like Menton, Nova Gorica and many others, border guards, migrants and residents navigate the complex intersection of law, politics and human rights. The aforementioned border(less) experiences act as a litmus test to the Schengen concept and it is up to the people to prove its resilience.

Photo credits: bobbsled on Flickr