EU Border Policy: Enhanced Border Security and Challenges to Free Movement

Abstract

AbstractThis chapter focuses on border control and mobility policies at both the internal and external borders of the EU. The central question it addresses is how contemporary border politics either challenge or contribute to European integration. Three significant developments in EU border-control politics are discussed: The reintroduction of controls at internal borders by member states, the expansion and externalisation of external border controls, and the proliferation of technical systems aimed at facilitating border controls. These developments collectively aim to enhance the territorial control capacities of both the EU and its member states. Notably, external border control has expanded both in terms of resources and mandates for the EU’s border and coast guard agency, Frontex, and through geographical extension beyond the EU’s immediate external boundaries. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the potential consequences of continued border-control expansion, the challenges posed by external and internal re-bordering in the context of ongoing integration, and considerations on how to strike a balance between increasing control demands and safeguarding the rights of free movement for EU citizens and the right to seek asylum for refugees.