Another blow against Schengen

EurActiv reports that

Denmark's centre-right government yesterday (11 May) agreed to introduce border controls at its ports and airports, as well as along its only land border with Germany and its bridge to Sweden. The European Commission asked for additional information and said it would not accept any roll-back of the Schengen treaty.

The Danish government caved in to the demands of the Danish People's Party, a populist and anti-immigration party that has been holding up approval of its 2020 economic plan.

I love that expression "caved in". So if a government accepts the demands of a democratically elected party, it is called caving in. Well, of course, that is not how they do things in the European Union. What do the Danes think their country is, a democracy?

The new controls at all of Denmark's borders will be within the scope of the Schengen agreement, the Finance Ministry said in a statement.

The Schengen treaty abolished border controls within Europe and currently consists of 25 nations. Denmark has signed the Schengen agreement, but has kept its freedom not to apply certain measures

For all of that, the Commission is right to be worried. (Hint to EurActiv: the Commission is not simply the Executive of the European Union, it is also the primary legislator, being the only body that is allowed by the treaties to initiate any legislation.)

The truth is, and the Commission is always the first to recognize it, that any restoration of border control, within the Schengen parameters or not, is a push back against the creation of the European state that will, naturally enough, not have any internal borders.