The borders of the EU: European integration, "Schengen" and the control of migration

In: Springer essentials

Abstract

This book looks at the background to the policy of free movement in Europe and discusses the consequences. European integration changed migration conditions considerably: Under the concept of "freedom of movement", border crossings between EU member states as well as work and settlement by nationals of other member states were largely facilitated; internal borders thus lost their significance. At the same time, the question of how to deal with a common external border and the migration of "third-country nationals" gained in importance. The essential explains why migration from outside Europe was increasingly understood as a problem of security policy and why this still determines the measures for designing a common external border today. The content Migration and border policy in the context of European integration from the 1950s until today Heterogeneity of migration in the EU Schengen Agreement as the beginning of a discussion on migration shaped by security policy Development of common European ideas on the control of external borders State of EU asylum policy The target groups People interested in the history and present of Europe as well as in migration and migration policy; people who wonder why there is such an intense debate about migration and asylum in the EU at present Lecturers and students in the fields of migration studies, European studies, history, social sciences The author Dr Jochen Oltmer is Professor of Migration History at the Institute for Migration Research and Intercultural Studies (IMIS) at the University of Osnabrück.