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"An end to the Schengen agreement allowing passport-free travel across 26 European countries would spell the End of Europe" (Pt F.Hollande19 Feb.16).The Schengen agreement was signed in 1985 and took effect in 1995. 22 Schengen countries are members of the EU and 4 -Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and the Liechtenstein- are not EU members. Two recent major events explain why one after another EU states reimposed "temporary" border controls. First, a massive influx of refugees or displaced persons in Europe which demonstrated in particular the maladjustment of the Schengen System in times of serious crisis. Second, the terrorist threat. The investigations in connection with many terrorist attacks showed that the attackers could move too easily across Europe. Indisputably, the Schengen System must be reformed as soon as possible. But reforming does not mean that we need an outright abandonment of Schengen. Mobility lies at the very heart of the EU which is based on the free movement of people, services and goods. It must be recalled that the end of the Schengen area would have a significant negative impact on people and on the overall economy. According to recent analyses of the Bertelsmann Foundation the reintroduction of controls at borders could push import prices up 3%. The Bruegel Institute, and this is only one example, underlines that 18 million trucks enter Germany every year via toll roads. And of course, Schengen also means the free movement of workers: more than 1.7 million people in this area earn their salary in a different country to where they live. In light of these challenges, Mr Juncker (Pt of the European Commission) solemnly declared that "without Schengen and the free movement of workers, of citizens, the Euro makes no sense.What is the point of having a single currency if you can't travel freely across the continent?". It must be recognized that the solutions will be complicated to implement. We are entering a difficult period.

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