The European Union and the Schengen Zone – Is it a failure globally?

The European Union and the Schengen Zone it could be argued is a failure globally. Consisting of twenty-six countries with the original goals of providing a common currency and no borders, with cooperative efforts and we realize this is a very simplistic explanation the block of countries appears to have burdened the citizens of its member countries and is a cumbersome decision-making body at best.

While it may be argued that the European Union packs more of a punch when it represents twenty-six countries than each of them going alone, we would counter with does it really? For instance, on major issues all twenty-six countries have to agree or no decision can be made. If we take the recent demand by Russia that its oil exports must be paid for in rubles, and the stance taken by many European countries that they will not abide by that demand, because it violates the sanctions that were put in place, at least two countries have gone their own way, Hungary and Germany. Since I do not live in Europe, I am not going to tell you what is the right and wrong way to handle this, but the mere fact that Hungary is going to purchase its oil in rubles and the largest energy company in Germany is going to do the same, tells you not all the EU members are sitting at the same table and having the same conversation.

Let’s look at another example, when emerging from the worst of the COVID pandemic, some of the less affluent countries in the European Union requested financial assistance. Initially, the more affluent countries balked at the request and said no, but eventually relented. The attitude appeared to be, we are tired of always bailing out the same countries and this is not a charity, so get your own financial house in order.

Immigration policies across all EU countries are enforced by threats of sanctions from the EU parliament, if those countries do not comply and at one point Switzerland, which is not a member of the European Union was even threatened with sanctions.

Let’s also look at the tax burden. We know that politicians do not work for free. The mere fact that another level of bureaucracy and elected politicians exist above and beyond the individual countries and forms policy as a collective, gives rise to higher taxes.

One could say that in their extremes, right wing policies and leftwing policies arrive at the same place only by taking different routes. Right wing policies in their extremes strip individual rights aways and give rise to authoritarian regimes. Left wing groups in the extreme resort to bullying and shaming as methods of getting everyone to agree with them, so in the same sense, but through different measures also seek to limit individual freedoms and expression.

One can debate whether or not Brexit was a good move for the U.K. or not, what one cannot debate are the tactics used by the European Union to try and bully the U.K. into staying. Time will tell who the winners and losers are in this scenario.

We should also clarify for those who are not as well-informed that the EU is not a military alliance like NATO. It is instead an economic block that works cooperatively to form policy, establish trade agreements and ensure free movement among its member nations.

By the end of 2022 all visitors to an EU country from outside of the EU, including those with valid passports will not be allowed to enter the Schengen Zone unless they have an ETIAS visa. This is no more than a tax grab by the EU and instead has the potential to blow up in their collective faces. The European Union is not a country, it is a cooperative. By not recognizing the passports of other countries it is not only insulting them but forcing the citizens of those countries to incur yet another cost for the mere sake of traveling to the European Union. Many travelers may not even be aware that is the situation and may go ahead and make travel plans anyway. At the end of the day many may just decide to visit other destinations that are willing to accept their passports. The European Union argues this will make it safer for their countries, but will it? You only need to apply for the visa online and at first blush it appears all you are doing is copying information from your existing passport. It is simply a tax grab, so why not call it that, instead of offering up some half-baked charade as an excuse.

Our prediction is that in the next five years more countries will carve out their own versions of Brexit as citizens clamor for independence in their own countries, something that was somehow lost along the way.

Note: The author of this essay does not consider himself to be leftwing or rightwing, but a moderate, who has held membership in more than one political party and served at one time on the board of directors of another party. He has over his lifetime also voted for both leftwing, rightwing and more moderate candidates.