Fresh off his “victory” in Germany’s parliamentary elections, Friedrich Merz repudiated the key promise that had enabled his Christian Democratic Union to – barely – stave off the surging Alternative für Deutschland populists. Noting in The European Conservative that more such betrayals are sure to follow, Sabine Beppler-Spahl warns this will only encourage the continued rise of the “extreme right” AfD, which has gained the support of nearly 40 percent of working-class Germans.
“Papers, please!” Real Borders Make a Comeback in the EU
The 1985 “Schengen” agreement was hailed as the gateway to an eternal utopia of open borders throughout a Europe of 29 countries and 450 million people. Noting the rising number of countries defying EU regulations and restoring national border controls, Lauren Smith in The European Conservative wonders whether the whole Schengen experiment is unravelling under the stresses of uncontrolled illegal migration, crime and social decay.
